


Captain Bucky

by SerialObsessor (ibelieveinturtles)



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Amputees, Bucky Barnes as Captain America, Colouring In, F/M, Free Hugs!, Gen, Stargazing, Steve Rogers Takes a Holiday, WinterShock - Freeform, hospital visits
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-17
Updated: 2017-10-30
Packaged: 2018-07-24 13:22:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 72,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7509997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ibelieveinturtles/pseuds/SerialObsessor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bucky pretends to be Captain America whilst Steve takes a much needed holiday.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Perks of The Job

**Author's Note:**

> From a prompt on Tumblr by Usedkarma (ug, I don't know how to embed the link...) I'll work on that.
> 
> "Darcy crushing on Bucky!Cap without knowing he is Cap under the suit, a sort of plot where she’s Bucky buddy, and he’s crushing on her too à la Lois Lane/Clark Kent trope

 

Bucky looked up as Steve staggered through the door, dropped his shield on the floor and flopped next to him on the couch.

“You look terrible.” Bucky observed, as he went back to his book, “Villain Of The Week get a little enthusiastic today?”

“You could say that.” Steve mumbled tiredly. “I need a holiday.”

“Sounds like a good idea.” Bucky said, “You should take one. I think it would do you good.”

“Captain America can't take holidays.” Steve stated. “I've asked before.”

Bucky blinked. “You're not just Captain America, you're also Steve Rogers, and Steve Rogers should be able to take a holiday if he wants one. Especially if he _needs_ one. ”

Steve just grunted, and apart from the sound of turning pages, there was silence for several minutes. Then Bucky cleared his throat.

“I can do it. I'll be Captain America for a couple of weeks.”

Steve lifted his head and looked at his friend. “I thought you didn't want to do this anymore.” he said quietly.

Bucky sighed. “I walked away from Hydra, and if I never had to fight anyone ever again I'd be fine with that. But if it's my choice, or it has to be done, then I'll do it. Anyway, no-one except the team has to know. No one will know it's me, I'm just as strong and fast as you are, I'm almost as good with the shield, and my hand to hand is better. So tell me, why not?”

**Sometime Later**

Bucky took a deep breath as the last of the attackers was neutralised, and relaxed slightly as he surveyed the damage. The rest of the team had been more than happy with him taking over as The Captain for a couple of weeks whilst Steve went off to get some R&R, and no one outside of their tight knit group suspected a thing.

Today's effort had been pitiful really, he thought to himself. The Villain Of The Week was some pathetic little weasel with delusions of grandeur, and they'd managed to contain him with no casualties and minimal damage. The laboratory that had come under attack was mostly intact... well nearly intact... ok well, no one had died... and he was fairly certain that he wouldn't need to hang around for the clean up.

He turned around, looking for an unblocked exit and then realised that he could a voice calling for help somewhere down near his feet. He scanned the area, but couldn't see anything. “Just a minute.” he called out, and then tapped his com, “Hey Scott, you busy?”

“Nope, how can I help?”

“I can hear someone calling out from beneath me but I can't see any holes or anything, can you come and take a look for me?”

“On my way.” came the reply.

Bucky called out to the disembodied voice again, “I've got help coming, can you keep talking so I can narrow down your location?”

“We were just leaving the labs when the roof and wall collapsed,” the voice called out, “I think we're near the corner somewhere.”

“Ok, I'm headed in that direction, how many of you are there?” Bucky asked as he walked across the room, trying to isolate where the voice was coming from.

“Um, just me and Jane, my boss.”

“And you are?”

“Oh, I'm Darcy. Darcy Lewis. Who are you?”

“I'm Bu... uh, I'm Captain America.” he quickly corrected himself, hoping that the girl hadn't heard his slip.

“Oh my God, Janey, Captain America's up there come to rescue us!! Jane? Wake up!”

By the time Scott arrived he'd narrowed their location down to an area in the southwest corner of the damaged building.

“Ok Darcy, help has arrived,” he called down, “I'm sending AntMan down to check up on you, and figure out the best way to get you out.”

“AntMan? Oh wow, ok, well, we'll be right here.” the voice replied excitedly.

“Down there somewhere,” Bucky said, pointing, and seconds later Scott had performed his disappearing act and shrunk down through the cracks, searching for the trapped women. He reappeared barely a minute later, pointing at a large piece of rubble just to Bucky's left. “If you can move that debris there, it'll open up a hole big enough to climb through without destabilising the whole area. One of them's unconcious though, look like she got a hard hit to the head from some of the falling rubble.”

Bucky gave the chunk of concrete a quick evaluation, braced his shoulder against the edge, and then carefully pushed. Slowly, the piece of debris shifted and moved, dust swirling up, and rubble trickling down as he opened a gap big enough to get the two women through.

He and Scott carefully climbed down to where the two women were. The one lying on the floor, was petite, with light brown hair, and Bucky could see a streak of blood down her dusty temple, and the other girl was kneeling next to her in the gloom, with her back towards him, talking quietly in a reassuring tone.

“Hey Jane, wake up, the heroes are here to rescue us.”

“Does she have any other injuries?” Bucky asked as he knelt down and carefully checked the unconcious woman over.

“I don't think so.”

“Ok, we'll get you out first, and by then we should have a stretcher for – Jane is it? - ok?” He looked at her.

He looked at Scott, “You stay here, keep Jane company, I'll send the stretcher down as soon it gets here.” Scott nodded in acknowledgement and then sat down next to Jane. Bucky turned back to Darcy, “You ready?”

“Yep, lets do this.” she smiled brightly at him, and he smiled back at her optimistic attitude.

As he took her by the elbow to help steady her, and walked her over to where he and Scott had come down, another voice called down. “Hey Cap, Tic Tac, whatchya doing down there?” 

Bucky looked towards the sound of Sam's voice. “Falcon, we got a coupla lovely ladies who got trapped when the wall collapsed. Darcy here is about to climb out, but her friend Jane has been knocked unconcious, is there are stretcher up there yet?”

“Yeah, it's just coming in now. You right down there?”

“Yeah, I'm sending Darcy up now, be ready to help her out ok?”

He turned back to Darcy who was waiting patiently beside him, “Ok, if you put your hands there, there and there, you should be able to climb out pretty easily. Falcon will help you out the rest of the way, and I'll be right behind you to catch you if slip.”

“Right then, here goes.” Darcy set off determinedly, carefully climbing up and out of the hole, Bucky following closely behind. As soon as it was within reach Darcy grabbed hold of Sam's hand, and he pulled her up and helped her over the edge, “There you go miss, all safe and sound now.”

“Thank you,” she smiled at Sam, and they all moved out of the way as a pair of paramedics approached with a stretcher, and carefully made their way into the hole.

A short time later Jane was safely strapped onto the gurney, and had been pulled out of the hole. Bucky watched as Darcy checked her over before turning back to the three superheroes.

“Thank you all so much,” she said, “We usually have to help ourselves around here,” she waved a hand vaguely towards... everything, “and I'm know you guys don't actually thank you's very often. You should know that you're appreciated.” She carefully stepped over to Scott, and then Sam, leaning up and giving each of them a hug and a quick peck on the cheek. Then she turned to Bucky and gave him an appraising up and down look, before standing up on tip toe and grabbing hold of the strap on the suit, she pulled him towards her, planting a firm kiss on his lips before letting go and giving him an even bigger smile than before.

He gaped at her for a moment, and she gave him a wicked grin. “Seeya around!” she called back to him as she picked her way through the rubble to where Jane's stretcher was being carefully manoeuvred through the door, and she threw him a final backwards glance and a wave as they disappeared around the corner.

Bucky stared after her, then shook his head and smiled to himself as he touched his lips with his hand. Now that was a perk that Steve hadn't mentioned. Then, he realised that Sam and Scott were both smirking at him, and he scowled.

“Looks like “Cap” has got himself an admirer.” Sam drawled. “I wonder what Steve will think about that.”

Scott grinned at Bucky as he tapped his comm and said, “Hey Nat, did you happen to get a photo of that?”

“Sending it to Steve now Scott.” he heard Nat reply, and he groaned, before turning on his heel and stalking away as best he could manage amongst the debris.

**On a Beach Somewhere**

Steve lay back, enjoying the most peaceful day of his entire life. He wondered if the team would mind if he stayed longer. He picked up his phone to see if Nat had sent him any updates of Bucky playing Captain. She'd sent him a few fun shots of Bucky in action that she'd found on various social media websites, or even snapped herself if the opportunity had presented itself, and assured him that no one had discovered their little deception. There was a new message waiting for him, and he opened it, expecting to see an action shot of Bucky flinging the shield around, and instead was startled to find a photo of Bucky kissing a girl... whilst dressed in full Captain America uniform. Steve frowned, and flicked off a quick text to his friend.

_No kissing strange women whilst you're wearing my suit._

And then he grinned to himself. Bucky kissed a girl!

 

 


	2. Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jane and Darcy move to the Avengers Facility, and Bucky wants chocolate cake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forgot to say thank you to CinnaAtHeart for the helpful chat the other day. Plus she urged me to actually have a go at this prompt when I commented on her response to it.
> 
> If anyone's got a better chapter title, hit me with it.

Bucky frowned at the message, and flushed a little. He was trying not to admit to himself that all he'd been able to think about all day was the kiss that Darcy had given him as she left.

  _ **She** _ _kissed_ _**me** _ _._

 He tossed his phone on the bed and headed for the shower. Get clean, go find some food, maybe watch a movie or read his book, and then bed, an excellent plan.

 He could hear someone knocking on his door as he came out of the bathroom. Natasha was leaning casually against the wall when he opened it.

 “Hey, I see you had a good day today.”

 He frowned at her and stepped back so she could come in. “No one died, that's always good.” he replied, pretending he didn't know what she was really talking about.

 She waved him off, “I don't want to come in, I actually came to let you know that we've had a request from the Starlight Foundation for an appearance from some of the Avengers to visit the children's hospital in Brooklyn on Friday, and attend a fundraising function on Friday night. It'll be Sam, Scott, myself, and you as Captain America.”

 “The Starlight Foundation? What's that?”

 “It's a non-profit organisation that helps sick children. They try to make being in hospital, and dealing with severe illness a better experience for families than it could be. We also make similar appearances for other charities and non-profits, it's good to help out.”

 “Sick kids huh? Yeah, that sounds good.”

 “Alright then, well I'm going to get something to eat, I'll meet you in the cafeteria?”

 Bucky nodded, “Yeah, I'll be down soon.”

  

 

**In the Ruins of the Laboratory, the Next Day**

  

Darcy and Jane wandered through the rubble, doing a final check for salveageable equipment. There wasn't really much left, but at least they'd been able to recover the hard drives of the smashed computers, and all of their current data.

 Jane huffed a sigh of frustration as she picked up a squashed doohickey and tossed it aside. “I've lost everything,” she complained, “not a single piece of equipment escaped damage.”  
  
“Uhuh.” Darcy responded absently, as she ambled behind Jane.

 “Well, I suppose rebuilding everything will keep me occupied out at the facility. I don't know why Thor is insisting we go there, there's nothing there for me to use in my research. They don't even have a telescope!”

 “Okay, you do that.” Darcy murmered.

 Jane gave her a sharp look. “Are you even listening to me Darcy?”

 “It's in the top drawer Jane.”

 Jane narrowed her eyes, “Well at least there'll be plenty of purple elephants and hot pink polka dot zebras to look at once we get there.”

 “That sounds great Jane, wait, what?!” Darcy looked up at Jane with a guilty look on her face. “Umm...”

 Shaking her head at her friend, Jane grabbed Darcy by the elbow and steered her towards the door. “Come on then, it's time to go. What's got you so distracted anyway? I'm fine now you know, it was just a little bump to the head, you don't need to worry about me. I even had a proper breakfast before they let me out of the hospital this morning.”

Darcy flushed a little, “Oh it's nothing really.”

 “Don't lie to me Darcy, it takes more than 'nothing' to get you distracted like that.”

 Darcy sighed and fidgeted with the edge of her sleeve, “okay, well IkindofkissedCaptainAmericaafterherescuedus.”

 “What??”

 “And now we're moving in with them!” Darcy wailed, “I'm gonna be so embarrased.”

 “Wait, what do you mean you kissed Captain America?”

 “Well, I was saying thank you to all of them – Falcon, AntMan and the Captain, and I gave the other two a hug and kiss on the cheek, you know, cos it felt polite and I wanted them to feel appreciated, and then when I looked at him, and he was all, tall, and muscley, and hot, so hot Jane... and I kinda laid one right on him.”

 “Oh Darcy.” Jane sighed. “You've really gotta do something about this kissing your rescuer thing.”

 “I know Janey, I know!”

  

 

**Later that afternoon**

  

When they finally arrived at their destination it was late, and they were hot, tired and hungry after their long drive. It was a relief to find the loading dock for the laboratories, and the very recognisable figure of Natasha Romanov waiting to greet them.

 After hugs all around, she handed them their security passes and led them straight to their new living quarters. “We've put you in a shared suite for now,” Natasha explained as she showed them around. “You get a room each, there's basic kitchen facilities and you've got your own television as well, but most of the time we all eat in the cafeteria, and you'll be given access to the Avengers common area as well, which I would have organised for you even if Thor hadn't asked as well. Plus there's a new residents information pack on the table for each of you.”

 “Wow, this is pretty flash.” Darcy said as she admired the neat rooms.

 “Don't worry about unpacking anything but essentials tonight. There'll be plenty of people around to do the heavy lifting for you tomorrow, so clean up, and then we'll go get something to eat.”

 Jane shook her head, “There's not really anything to unpack anyway, I lost nearly everything.”

 Although they were exhausted and starving, the two women took the time to have quick showers and put clean clothes on before following Natasha to the cafeteria. There were only a few people there when they arrived, so in no time at all they were seated at a table near the large glass windows, with a brilliant view of the rest of the facility, and digging into a good hot meal.

  

 

Bucky, Sam and Scott were running late for dinner, as they'd gotten caught up in their training session, and had run overtime. They lined up behind a few other stragglers, and grabbed themselves bits and pieces of whatever was left.

 “Hey is that chocolate cake in the dessert shelf? Pass me one will ya.” Bucky said hopefully.

 “Nope.” said Sam as he calmly took the last two cakes from the shelf. “They're all gone.”

 “You're a fucking asshole Wilson. You gotta get over it.” Bucky groused at him.

 “Hey, who's that over there with Natasha?” Scott asked as he looked around for somewhere to sit.

 Bucky glanced in the direction Scott was looking. He didn't recognise either of the two women with whom Natasha was having a fairly animated conversation. Well, the woman with the long dark brown hair was certainly animated, waving her hands wildly about in the air, whilst the lighter haired woman was covering her face with her hands and Nat looked highly amused.

 “Now that looks interesting.” Sam said. “C'mon, lets go see if we get an introduction.”

 Bucky tagged along behind Sam, not really feeling up to talking to people he didn't know, but not wanting to go off on his own tonight. Besides, he had plans to swipe one of the cakes that Sam had on his tray.

 “Hey fellas,” Nat greeted them as they came up to the table. “come to join us? Darcy and Jane were just telling the story of how they met Thor.”

 Bucky slid into the seat next to Natasha as Sam sat down on her other side, and Scott slid in next to the other two women, concentrating on his tray as she did the introductions. “This is Sam Wilson, Scott Lang and James Barnes."

 “Gentlemen, this is Jane Foster, and Darcy Lewis. You might remember them from that destroyed laboratory the other day.”

 “A pleasure to meet you ladies again, glad to see you're recovered from that little bang you got on the head.” Sam said.

 “Oh, that was nothing really,” the first woman replied, “At least nothing possessed me this time.”

 Bucky had looked up when he realised who the two women were. He nodded silently at them as they murmured their hellos, and tried hard not to stare at the woman in front of him, as he got his first look at her without being covered in dust and grime. He hadn't realised how damn gorgeous she was the other day. Not wanting to be caught staring, he tried to casually alternate between looking between his plate, Darcy, and all the other occupants of the table.

 “So, are you guys all Avengers too?” Darcy asked, “Who's who? Or is a secret?”

 “I'm the Falcon.” Sam said

 “AntMan.” Scott mumbled around a mouthful of food.

 Bucky looked up as he realised they were all waiting for him to speak up, “Former Winter Soldier,” he said, deciding they probably already knew, or would find out soon enough anyway, “but I mainly just help with training and run support behind the scenes.”

 “So the dude who flies, the dude who shrinks and the dude with the cool metal arm, not to mention the Killer Queen herself, Black Widow.” Darcy nodded. “I am officially surrounded by awesome!”

 Bucky blinked. Did she really just call Natasha Killer Queen? He risked a sideways glance her in direction but Nat was just eating her dinner, and listening to the conversation, with no signs of potential murder that he could see at all. Huh, well that was interesting.

 “So what's the story with Thor?” Sam asked, least he could be relied on to keep a conversation going, Bucky thought to himself, still recovering from being included in people considered awesome. Either this girl had no sense of self preservation or … or he didn't really know what the other option might be there.

 “Darcy tased him.” Jane said blandly.

 “Only after you hit him with the van.” Darcy responded indignantly.

 “You were driving!”

 “Yeah but you yanked the wheel, I was trying to avoid the tornado.”

 “Oh come on Darcy, you...”

 “Wait, you tased Thor? And hit him with a car?” Sam asked incredulously.

 “What, he hasn't told you the story himself? It's his favourite one.” Darcy said. “I swear he starts telling it every time someone hands him a drink, or asks him what he thought of Earth when he first arrived.”

 "That was you? Oh wow, I heard that story, you're amazing. I mean, that's really awesome." Bucky tuned out as Scott went into one of his fanboy moments whilst continuing to steal glances at Darcy.

 “I haven't met Thor yet, but I think I remember Steve telling me about that,” Bucky said quietly. “Pretty sure it was whilst Sam was passed out from something he stole out of Stark's liquor cabinet though.”

 “I do not pass out.” Sam glared at him, and then resumed eating.

 Darcy laughed, “You didn't happen to steal Thor's Asgardian shit did you? Cos I tell you, that stuff will make anyone pass out. Nothing to be ashamed of.” she caught Bucky's eye and winked at him, and then yawned, followed in quick succession by Jane.

 “Okay, I think that's our signal to turn in, it's been a long day.” Jane declared as she pushed away from the table. “It was lovely to meet you Sam, Scott, James, I'm sure we'll see you around. Come on Darcy.”

 The two women said their goodbyes and left, and shortly after Nat followed them. Sam looked sideways at Bucky as they watched them leave. “Your girl certainly cleans up nice.”

 “She's not my girl.” Bucky said half heartedly, most of his attention involved with covertly eyeing off the cake that was still on Sam's tray.

 “What, you trying to tell me you're not interested? I saw you looking at her. Saw her looking at you too.”

 “Give it a rest Wilson, she was looking at everyone.” Bucky replied.

 "Well I think she's pretty amazing," Scott said "She tased Thor!"

 "How about you clowns mind your own damn business." Bucky decided he'd had enough. He pushed his chair back and stood up. "I'll see you in the morning." As he passed behind Sam he skilfully swiped one of the cakes and then stalked out of the cafeteria, ignoring Sam's cries of protest.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> un-beta'd, all mistakes are mine.


	3. Getting To Know You, Getting To Know All About You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which alarms sound, Bucky has no respect for Steve's suit and Natasha makes a request

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today's instalment is brought to you by 'The Martian' and 'The Bachelor (Australia)' 
> 
> This chapter got a bit out of hand...

 

_Hows the beach today Stevie?_

_Quiet, warm, relaxing. I could stay here forever._

_You know you'll get bored soon enough._

_Not yet Buck, not yet._

 

 

 

The next morning found Darcy and Jane up early in order to spend a tedious several hours enduring orientation: a series of inductions consisting of health and safety requirements, emergency procedures, legal and compliance requirements, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. As the presenter droned on both women found it increasingly difficult to maintain both concentration, and wakefulness.

“I know this is all very important Jane, but I swear, if I have to listen to this any longer I'm going to snap. I am just about ready to gouge out my own eyeballs and use them as stuffing in my ears if it means I don't have to listen the drone of this half baked amoeba any more. Jane? Are you listening to me?” She prodded Jane with her elbow to get her attention, and Jane woke with a start.

“Is it over yet?”

“Almost, thank goodness. Lunch is next, then apparently we all get a grand tour of the facility before being given buddies to help us 'acclimatise' over the next few days.”

There was random half hearted clapping from the other inductees as the presenter finished up, and then everyone stood up and filed out of the room. Darcy and Jane followed them out to find Sam and Nat waiting for them in the hallway.

“Morning ladies, hows it going today?” Sam asked cheerfully.

Darcy rolled her eyes at him, “Any more of that and I think I'd have sue under some sort of international torture conventions. I swear it's worse than waiting on the phone with social services or the tax department.”

Sam laughed, “I'll pass on the feedback. Although I think the usual facilitator quit last week, so if its any consolation, it's usually better.”

Darcy considered for a moment, “Nope, I'm not consoled by that thought at all. In fact I think it just makes me more miserable.”

“Well I have good news for you then,” Nat glanced sideways at Sam, “as I'm taking you and Jane to have lunch with us, and then we'll give you the top level tour, whilst all the grunts there get the basic tour.”

“Okay, that sounds good to me.” Darcy said, “lead on.”

Bucky was feeling distinctly unsociable today, and he was halfway through eating his lunch in peace and quiet, all on his own, when he saw Jane and Darcy enter the cafeteria, accompanied by Nat and Sam. He watched idly as they collected their lunch, and then as Darcy looked around for a free table she spotted him and waved enthusiastically. He was surprised to find himself waving back as she nudged Jane and headed in his direction, with Nat and Sam following closely behind.

“Hey there Barnes, how are you today?” she asked cheerfully as she sat down. “I've just spent about 4 hours listening to the human resources equivalent of Vogon Poetry, and I tell you now, if my spleen had've jumped up my throat and attempted to throttle my brain I would've cheered it on. Please tell me something interesting and entertaining, I think my brain needs a jump start to get it working again.”

Startled and confused, and still trying to figure why he'd responded so quickly to her wave, Bucky paused with his fork halfway to his mouth. “What?”

“Jane and I just had inductions, we're bored half to death. Entertain me, please.”

Bucky looked around but everyone else was occupied with their own conversations, and he realised that he wasn't going to be able to avoid talking.

“You look pretty alive to me, can't have been all that bad.”

Darcy narrowed her eyes at him, “Please, I would’ve been more entertained watching paint dry. There was nothing even remotely good about what I, **we,** ” and she waved her hand in Jane's direction here, “have just been through.”

A quick glance at the others showed him that no one seemed to be taking any notice of him and Darcy.

“Well, I really don't know how I can make it any better.” Bucky admitted. “I haven't had a lot of cause to entertain anyone recently.”

“Just be yourself,” Darcy replied, “it's all anyone can ask really.”

Bucky thought to himself that some days he wasn't even sure who he really was any more, so he decided to deflect. “What about you? I know you're Fosters assistant but how do you assist her, and what with?” he asked.

“Well I started out as her intern a few years ago, cos I needed the credits for my degree, but we're more friends than anything else now, and honestly,” and here she leaned forward as if disclosing highly sensitive state secrets, “she'd probably fall into a science coma without me, and you'd find her dried out husk buried beneath a mound of notes six months down the track.”

“Don't believe anything she says.” Jane interjected suddenly. “I wouldn't be anywhere near as far along with my research if I didn't have Darcy to keep everything organised for me. She helped me build a device to open the wormhole, but we couldn't get it to work. Even then she encouraged me to keep going. Plus, she has this real knack for picking out information, and patterns in the data that I miss sometimes, even if she doesn't actually understand the maths or science to go with it, but she's gotten so much better at that too.”

“I do understand a lot more than I used to.” Darcy admitted.

“Yes, you do, and I'd be lost with you Darcy.”

“Aw Jane, now you're embarrassing me.” Darcy's face was tinged with pink now, and Bucky smiled at the banter between the two women. It reminded him of before the war, and could tell that they were very close, and very loyal to each other.

His musings were interrupted by the sudden blare of the emergency alarms, and an announcement came over the PA system.

“This is an emergency. Proceed to your designated station or emergency zone immediately. I repeat, this is an emergency. Proceed to your designated station or emergency zone immediately.”

The cafeteria emptied within seconds as everyone calmly and quickly headed for their designated safe rooms and stations.

“Barnes, escort Jane and Darcy to the lab safe room, then join us in the ready room.” Nat ordered as she left with Sam.

“We can get there on our own if you're needed.” Jane said, but Bucky shook his head.

“Nah, it's your first drill, 'sides, Nat'll have my balls if I skip out on you.”

As soon as he had them safely tucked away with the other lab staff, he hurried to the ready room for the briefing, and to see how well the staff and residents had responded to what he knew was an unscheduled drill.

He slipped into the room and took up a position next to Scott, who had already suited up, and was watching the hubbub with interest.

“I see you were getting chatty at lunch.” Scott observed casually. “You don't usually do chatty.”

“Shove it Lang.” Bucky replied. “What's happening?”

Just then Nat looked up from the security screens and scanned the room to see who was there.

“We've got an incursion at the loading bay. There's a van claiming to be delivering Fosters' equipment, but she told me last night when she arrived that she lost almost everything in the attack the other day. ”

“There's still two men with the van, and at least three in the facility itself.” Sam reported from where he was checking camera feeds. “All seem to be pretty well armed too.”

Nat came and stood next to Bucky, “Did you get Foster and Lewis to their safe room?” Nat asked him.

Bucky nodded, “They're locked in with the other lab staff until the all clear sounds, or one of us releases the door.”

“Okay good. I want you to go suit up, I think Captain America needs to be seen for this one.”

She walked back to the main console, and spoke loud enough to get everyone's attention.

“We've sealed all the security doors so we'll go through and clear each floor section by section. Lets go everyone.”

The rest of the team was suited up and ready to go in record time, and it took just over half an hour to corner the intruders and take them into custody. Once they were secured, it was decided to bring Jane up to see if she could identify them at all, and Bucky left them in Nat's skilled hands before heading down to the lab saferoom with Sam in tow.

 

Darcy, Jane and the other occupants were just starting to wonder exactly how long emergency was going to last when the door finally opened. They looked up as the safe room was unsealed to see Captain America and Falcon standing in the doorway.

“Thank you for your patience ladies and gentleman. The emergency has been dealt with, and you are all free to return to your duties now.” Bucky gave his very best Steve impersonation as the occupants of the room all filed out. He caught Jane's eye as she and Darcy hung back, waiting for the room to clear.

“Dr Foster, Natasha has asked to have a quick word with you if you don't mind. Sam will take you there now.”

“Um, okay. Darcy too?”

“She's not needed at this point,” Bucky said, “I'll escort her back to your lab.”

They watched Falcon and Jane leave and then Darcy turned to Bucky with a serious look on her face.

“So how bad was it, and what were they after?” she asked.

“We had some intruders pretending to be delivering Dr Fosters' equipment. We have them in custody now, and we thought she might be able to help us identify them, or maybe their employer.” Bucky told her.

“What the hell do they want, and why can't they leave us alone?” Darcy took a deep breath. “They couldn't even give us one day.”

Then she turned at looked at him thoughtfully, “So, would you say that you've just rescued us again?” she asked as she tapped a finger on her bottom lip.

 

“Ah, I suppose you could say that.” he replied cautiously, staring at the finger, and the lip, but she was grinning at him, and there was a glint in her eye as she stepped towards him, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Again. That glint had tipped off the slightest warning in his mind, so he wasn't completely taken unawares, and with barely a second thought he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in tight against him, deepening the kiss as her hands stroked over his head, - and oh god, he wished more than anything at that moment that he wasn’t wearing the damn hood because he really wanted to know how it would feel to have her fingers running through his hair – and her hands moved down his back now, and then back up to his neck again. He could hear her breath hitch in her throat as he gently brushed along her bottom lip with his tongue, and the faint smell of her shampoo wafted past him as her hair fell across her shoulders.

He released her lips, both of them gasping for breath, turned slightly and pushed her against the door frame as he dove in for more. She shifted against him, and he let his hands wander down her back, pulling her closer against him. Then, through the fog in his mind he registered a noise, and as he broke the kiss to look up, Scott was  **right there** , just slipping his phone away, and grinning madly. “Hey  **Cap** , they're asking for you and Miss Lewis.” 

He closed his eyes for a moment, risked a glance at Darcy, who still had that mischievous twinkle in her eye, and didn't seem at all bothered about being caught in the act, so to speak. He could feel the redness burning up his cheeks and he moved away from her, and avoided looking at Scott as he tried to calm himself back to some semblance of normality.

“Yeah, on our way.” He muttered and took off. “Miss Lewis?”

“I'm right behind you.” she said cheerily and he knew without looking that she was grinning like a monkey at his back.

 

By the way everyone looked at him when they arrived at their destination he knew that Scott had already passed on the word of his indiscretion, and he was extremely relieved when Nat told him to go change and clean up, with the convenient excuse that the Captain was needed elsewhere now.

By the time he'd gotten changed there was a message waiting for him on his phone.

 

_So I hear you've been kissing strange women in the suit again. Thought I told you not to do that._

_I don't know what you're talking about._

_You know they're sending me photos every time you go out right?_

_She started it._

_Bucky, respect the suit. Please._

 

Bucky sighed and put his phone back in his pocket before heading for the interrogation area. He was feeling the need to work out some frustrations in a more productive manner, so seeing as he was in a proper glaring mood right now, so he may as well put it to good use.

 

Steve took another look at the picture that he'd been sent this time with a wicked grin on his face. It was nice to see a glimpse of the old Bucky surfacing, and he decided that it might be a good idea to take Nats suggestion of extending his holiday for a bit longer.

 

Neither Jane nor Darcy could remember seeing any of the intruders before, so they headed back to the lab after it was suggested that they do their tour the next day instead.

After a couple of hours of discussion they had a list of equipment and supplies to be ordered, and by dinner time Darcy had managed to harangue and harass the IT department into supplying them with a couple of computers and other equipment so that she could start retrieving data from the recovered hard drives and backups that they'd brought with them from the old laboratory.

Darcy had just decided that that particular task could wait until tomorrow when Nat called in to see how they were doing after their unexpectedly exciting afternoon.

“Hey, Nat,” Darcy called out, “hows things going? Any luck with the goons?”

“Yes and no. Barnes sat and glared at them for a while, and like magic they were all singing like canaries within an hour.” Nat looked profoundly amused by that idea. “Unfortunately, they're all mercenaries, and they got the job through an unidentified third party, so we didn't really get much information at all. It's a dead end for now I'm afraid.”

“Well that sucks.” Darcy declared.

“These things happen.” Nat shrugged. “For now we just wait and see what happens next. After 2 attempts, so close together, I doubt they'll give up easily. Now, if you two are done for the day, it's almost dinner time. We've ordered a team dinner in our common area tonight if you'd like to join us.”

Jane looked up from the list that she was checking for the fourth time. “Actually that sounds really good. I need to drop this list in to the store for ordering anyway, so how about we meet you there?”

 

When Bucky arrived in the common room, most of the team was already there, and Nat waved him over to the table where she was talking to Sam and Scott.

 

“Good timing Barnes, I was just about to tell these two about the thing on Friday.” she turned back to the other two men as Bucky sat down next to her.

“So as I was saying, we've got a charity function and hospital visit on Friday. We've been invited to visit the Steven Grant Rogers Memorial Children's Hospital to visit with some of the kids, and then there's a fund-raising dinner in the function rooms that evening. You'll all need to wear your suits, and I'll organise a change of formal wear for the evening function.”

Bucky was surprised. “Wait, they named a hospital after Steve?? Does he know?”

Natasha tilted her head thoughtfully, “You know, I don't actually know. The hospital was founded by Howard Stark and Peggy Carter after the war, to help cater to families like Steve's that didn't have a lot of money or easy access to good care.”

She looked at Bucky thoughtfully then, “I think one of your sisters was involved too.” she said.

Bucky was taken aback. Now that he hadn't expected. “You know a lot about this hospital.”

“It's part of my job Barnes, knowing things.”

“Okay, getting back on track, how are we getting there, when do we need to be there, and is there anything else we need to know?” Sam asked.

“They've given us permission to use their helipad so we'll take a quinjet, and the visit has been scheduled for 10am, as most of the kids will still be fairly alert at that time of the day. We can either fly back after the dinner, or Stark has offered us rooms at the Tower for anyone who wants to come back the next day instead. ”

“What about me?” Bucky asked, “Stark's not gonna want me in his tower, and how are you gonna explain Captain America's absence at the benefit?”

“You don't have to stay at the Tower if you don't want to, but Stark didn't specify who could or couldn't. He only said whoever wants to. Your decision. As for the other matter, Wanda and Vision aren't coming on the hospital visit, but they will be at the dinner, so it's doubtful anyone will notice. And if anyone does question it, Captain America had another engagement. Anyway, they'll all be too busy eating and drinking to worry about it.”

Bucky nodded, he wasn't entirely convinced but it would do for now.

“Okay then, I'll trust you this time.”

He didn't notice when Darcy and Jane arrived, and had settled himself on the lounge, surfing through the channels looking for something to watch for a while. He flicked past a few modern shows until something that looked a bit closer to his era caught his attention. He was watching the movie with interest when he felt the lounge cushions shift and Darcy sat down next to him. He hadn't seen her since leaving her with Natasha after the afternoon's drama, and he was surprised by how good he felt when she smiled up at him.

“So, you like old musicals do you?” she enquired.

“Um, yes.” he looked at her curious expression.

She poked him gently in the ribs, “Well aren't you full of surprises.”

“Is that a problem?” he asked warily, watching her as she watched the movie.

“No, of course not. I like musicals too. Actually this is one of my favourites. You know, when I was little I wanted one of those huge dresses so badly.”

He looked back at the television, “They are very big dresses.” he agreed, “Not very practical though.”

She laughed softly, “God no, nothing practical about them at all, but, you don't care about that sort of thing when you're eleven years old. I loved the dresses in Gone With The Wind too.”

“You know, I actually saw that in the theatre when it came out.” he mused. “Took a date to see it.” he was pleased to see the look of awe on her expressive face as she looked at him in surprise. He wondered what other ways he could put that look on her face.

“Wow.” she breathed, “That's.. I think that there, has to be the most amazing thing I've heard all day.”

“Really? After everything that happened today?”

“Hey, that was things happening, not things I was hearing. Anyway, this beats all of that. I'm getting to learn something new about you that I bet most people probably wouldn't know, or even guess at.”

“Okay, but don't tell anyone, I have a reputation to uphold.” he said solemnly.

She snorted beside him, “I'm not sure anyone would believe me anyway.”

They watched in companionable silence for a while, before Darcy shifted and got up, “Well, as much fun as this is, I need to go get Jane off to bed, cos I'm pretty sure she wants an early start tomorrow. Thanks for the movie watching, and I'll see you around.”

“Any time.” he heard himself say. “Maybe you can help me catch up on some of the stuff I missed.” trying very hard not to sound too hopeful.

She looked at him, “Yeah I'd like that. Sounds good. 'Night.”

He watched as she went and rounded up Jane, and headed out the door. As he turned back to the television he caught Sam and Scott beaming at him and offering him a big thumbs up from across the room. He responded with a blank glare, and went back to watching the movie.

 

Soon after they got back to their room there was a knock on the door. Darcy answered it to find Natasha outside.

“Sorry for disturbing you so late. I've been meaning to talk to you about something all day, but well, you know. Anyway, I don't know if you heard, but we're doing a visit to the children's hospital on Friday for the Starlight Foundation with Falcon, AntMan and Captain America, and I'd like to surprise our good Captain if you're willing to go along with it.”

Darcy and Jane exchanged glances, “Sure,” Darcy said, “What do you want me to do?”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so I hop on my computer about 9am, thinking, yep, give this another quick read over, add the last little bit and bam! I'll be done. 4 hours and 2 loads of washing later... here you go.  
> Now I can go and catch up on some reading.  
> Oh, and bonus points to whoever can guess what movie caught Bucky's interest.


	4. Free Hugs!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Bucky wears Lycra, still hasn't learnt any respect for the suit, and meets the founding members of the Winter Soldier Fan Club.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have now read through this too many times, so I'm giving up. Once again, it got away from me.

  _So I hear you've got a thing on in a few days._

_Yeah, visiting sick kids in your hospital._

_My hospital?  
What, you didn't know Howard built a hospital in your honour?_

_I do not know what to say to that._

  

**Friday**

 

Bucky looked at the uniform Nat was holding up in disbelief. “What the hell is that?”

“It's a replica of Steve's original USO costume. It's what you'll be wearing to the hospital today.”

“No. Absolutely not. Just get me the regular uniform, it'll do fine.”

Nat sighed, “No, you WILL wear this. Sick kids remember Barnes. And they all want comic book Captain America, not secret agent Captain America. So we can do this the hard way or the easy way, and then you will go and put this on so we can leave on time.”

With sudden clarity Bucky realised that there was no way he was going to win this particular argument, and he'd probably be better off spending the hour he would spend arguing with Tasha reading his book, or watching something on tv, or gouging his own eyeballs out.

“Fine.” he said. “But I'm doing it under protest.”

Nat smiled beatifically at him. “You've gotten smarter in your old age Barnes.” she said as she passed him a bag full of accessories, and held the costume out. “I'm proud of you. Besides, I have a surprise for you that'll make you forget that even had any objections in the first place.”

He just took the costume and scowled at her again for good measure. “I'll believe **that** when I see it. How long have I got?”

“We leave in an hour, I have a couple of other things to do, but call me if you need any help getting into it. Otherwise, I'll see you on the quinjet.”

He shut the door behind her, took another look at the hideous monstrosity on the hanger and sighed again. He didn't remember it being this bright or shiny when Steve wore it in 1943.

 

 

Natasha knocked on the door of Jane and Darcy's suite and then let herself in. Darcy popped out of her bedroom as she closed the door behind her, and twirled. “What do you think?” she asked.

“It's a good fit, you look stunning. Now let me just fix your hair, and we'll be set.”

Forty five minutes later Darcy turned around and looked at herself in the mirror. “Oh my god I look amazing!”

The replica USO uniform that Nat had found for her fit perfectly, and the older woman had also managed a flawless recreation of the hairstyle underneath the little blue hat.

“Wow Darcy, you look like you stepped straight out of one of those old newsreels from the '40's. Quick, let me grab a couple of photos before we leave.”

Darcy struck a pose. “How's this?” she laughed.

“Perfect Darcy.”

Jane quickly snapped several photos, and then it was time to leave.

 

 

Bucky resisted the urge to tug at the uniform (costume?) as Sam and Scott walked through the door onto the landing pad. They both stopped short as they caught sight of him in the brightly coloured outfit. “The hell Barnes?” Sam asked as Scott started laughing.

“Not a word Wilson.” Bucky warned, “this is for the kids remember? Sick kids.”

“Steve is gonna be so glad he missed this.” Sam grinned as he pulled his phone at took a photo of the glowering Bucky. “Look at you, all colourful and patriotic there.”

Bucky straightened up, “All it would take is one word from me and I could have both of you in similarly ridiculous versions of your suits.” He wasn't above offering a few threats to make himself feel better.

“I think this is the bit where we shut up, and be grateful that we don't have technicolour versions of our suits Sam.” Scott said.

To Bucky's relief, before either of them could say anything else, the door behind them opened again, and they all turned to look as Natasha walked through, wearing a dark blue version of her usual suit, followed closely by Jane and … Bucky felt his jaw drop as he took in the details of Darcy's USO costume. He'd never had the good fortune to actually see any of Steve's shows, but he'd seen the old black and white film footage, and the photos at the museum exhibition, and the vibrant vision in front of him just blew his mind.

“Hot damn.” he heard Sam murmur beside him, and he silently agreed.

“Well, what do you think?” Darcy called out as she twirled around in front of them.

Scott was the first to find his voice, “Wow, it's like you dropped straight out of a time warp Darcy. Did you know about this?” he turned to ask Bucky.

“A real blast from the past.” he heard Sam add, nudging him the ribs as he did so, “Don't you think so Cap?”

Darcy was grinning and curtseying at them all, “Didn't Nat do a fantastic job? I couldn't believe it when she showed it to me.”

Bucky was having trouble finding words, he felt like he'd been thrown in the deep end all of a sudden, and right now Darcy looked like everything he'd ever wanted before the war, and all the misery it had brought with it. He could see Natasha watching him with her favourite poker face, and he managed to get out an, “It's perfect.” before Jane was waving a camera at them and calling for a group photograph, and then the five of them were squeezing together so she could fit them all in. He managed to pull off a classic Captain America smile for the camera and then Natasha wanted a photo of the three men together, and after that Sam had to insist that they took some photos of the Captain and Darcy together.

“Oh that's a great idea,” Darcy said, rummaging around in her cleavage and pulling out her phone, “here, someone take a couple of pictures for me too.” Natasha quickly grabbed it from her, and went to stand next to Jane, who didn't seem have stopped taking photos even whilst they were shuffling into different positions. Sam and Scott had pulled out their own phones as well, and he could hear Steve's laughter already.

Darcy put her arm around his waist and he automatically pulled her in close to him, maintaining an increasingly manic smile the whole time. He almost jumped out of his skin when her hand wandered below his waist and patted him on his behind. “Relax,” she said, “I'm not gonna bite you.”

“It's a shame we don't have a motorcycle for you to perch on Darcy,” Sam observed, “I'd love to see a recreation of that particular trick in person.”

“Maybe another time,” Nat said, “we have to go. Come on everyone, don't want to be late. Darcy, grab the camera from Jane, you're in charge of it now.”

 

 

Steve scrolled through the mass of photos that had just arrived on his phone, and then nearly fell out of his hammock laughing, as he came across a photo of a glowering Bucky dressed in a very shiny, bright and tight version of his uniform. He decided he'd never been so grateful to be on holiday.

_That's a good look you've got there Buck._

_Shove it Rogers._

 

 

When they arrived at the hospital they were greeted by a volunteer from the Starlight Foundation and a hospital representative, with the volunteer giving them a quick run down of the schedule before escorting them down to the ward they were starting in.

“Okay, so we're going to go ward by ward, the kids are all pretty excited, and for the ones that can get out of bed we've arranged the recreation rooms with extra seating and tables, so you can chat to kids in groups, and for the kids that are confined to their beds, we'll come and get you for a little one to one time.” she explained to them.

“We've tried to make sure there'll be enough time in between to regroup, and take a short break. It can get a bit much for some people, so we try and make it as easy as possible. So, here we are, kids are inside, everyone ready?”

The whole team nodded, and Bucky took a calming breath, channelled the Captain America 'cool, calm and collected' vibe, as he let the others go in before him, and then followed. Natasha was already sitting with a little girl who was dressed up in a yellow fairy dress and an Iron Man helmet, Sam was talking to a boy whose leg was in traction and Scott was chatting with a pair of kids in the corner about something on a computer they had. Darcy was talking to one of the nurses in between taking photos of everyone. He was directed to a table where some other children were sitting, and soon he was involved in a conversation about mutant turtles and other things he knew little about. He was surprised at how quickly the time flew, but he was also very grateful for the short breaks in between, which seemed to mostly consist of a quick drink, and a desperate struggle in the bathroom with his suit.

Before he knew it they were finishing up in the last ward, and it was almost time for them to go get a bit of rest before getting ready for the dinner that evening. He was chatting with Scott and Sam in a small staff room at one end of the final ward when there was a tap on the door, and a soft voice spoke up.

“Excuse me? Captain America? I was wondering if you had time for a quick question before you go?”

They all turned around to see a small girl with short blond hair, and large dark circles around here dull green eyes. She didn't look any older than about 13, and he realised as he looked at her that one of her sleeves was empty.

“How can I help you miss?” he asked politely, as Scott and Sam looked on with vague curiosity.

“Well, some of us were wondering if you brought your friend with you. You know, the Winter Soldier?”

The shock of the unexpected question seemed to wipe his brain clear of all coherent thoughts for a minute, and he was grateful when Sam spoke up.

“He was unavailable today, had a prior engagement.”

To his surprise, her already sad face looked even sadder at that and he managed to recover his wits as he moved closer to her, “Can I help?” he asked.

“Maybe, I just wanted to talk to him, ask him some questions.” she mumbled, looking down at the floor.

Bucky glanced back at the others, and Sam nodded at him as he and Scott quietly left the room.

“Well, you can ask me, I might be able to answer some of your questions for him.”

“That's what the other lady said, the one who's outfit matches yours. She said he's a friend of hers too, but she didn't know why he wasn't here today. She said she thinks he's a bit shy. There's a place we can sit down here.” she said as she led him down the corridor.

Bucky took a bit of time to process this as he followed her out of the room, and into a small room with a pair of lounges and a television. Darcy considered him a friend? He wasn't sure if that was good or not.

“I'm not actually supposed to be out of bed,” she told him as she sat down. “I'm Beth.”

“Nice to meet you Beth. So what did you want to ask him?”

She hesitated for a while, just staring at her hand which was fiddling with a loose thread on her shirt.

“Is he okay?” she finally asked, looking at him with a worried look on her face as he sat down next to her.

“In what way?” he asked, sensing that there was more to her question than it seemed.

She paused for a moment. “I've seen stuff... on the internet. Of what they did to him. And, you know,”she gestured towards her own missing arm, “the whole arm thing. I lost mine when I was 8, and I know it's the not the same, cos I had to lose mine or I would've died, and he's got a new one and everything, but well...” she sighed. “We all kinda feel like he probably needs friends, right? And we wonder if he's okay, and how he feels about it.” she took a breath and squinted up at him out of the corner of her eye. “Sorry, I tend to go on a bit at times.”

Bucky realised that he wasn't sure how to answer Beth's question. He spent a lot of his time avoiding thinking about it, and rarely talked about it with anyone.

“He's getting better.” he said at last.

She nodded, “That's good. I...”

“Beth, Beth, you missed them, they're go... oh, sorry. Um, excuse us... Oh wow, Captain America.”

Bucky turned around as some other children crowded into the doorway.

“Did you bring the Winter Soldier with you?”

“No he's not here you idiot, we already asked that remember?”

“Hey shut up you lot.”

Bucky blinked, “What is this, his fan club or something?”

“Yep.” came the reply, and there were smiles and happy nods all around.

Bucky didn't know how to respond to this, he was surprised, confused and a bit overwhelmed by the noise that the kids had brought with them.

“There's a fan club?”

“Well, it's not official or anything, cos that costs money and you need to fill out official paperwork and stuff, but yeah. That's us.”

“A fan club??” Bucky was still trying to deal.

A tall boy at the back of the group spoke up, “Yeah it was my idea, figured it was better than the legless, armless club.”

Bucky looked at Beth, and then back at the kids who were now filing in through the door, “You're all amputees?” he asked.

“Yeah,” the tall boy replied, “Lionel is missing half a leg, I'm missing an arm, like Beth, Mikki lost her hand, Evan lost a whole leg, and Mack back here has lost both legs.”

Bucky could now see the wheelchair at the back of the group as they all found seats, as they continued throwing questions at him.

“So are you going to come back?”  
“Could you bring him with you next time?”

“Would he want to come and visit us?”

Bucky was starting to feel overwhelmed by the questions, and the knowledge that these kids looked up to the Winter Soldier as some sort of … some sort of... he didn't know, he just really didn't know.

“Hey pipe down you lot,” the tall boy snapped, “I reckon Captain America has had a long day dealing with all the kids around here, give him a break.”

Bucky shot the kid a grateful look and stood up, “I'll ask about another visit, and I'll talk to Bucky about coming along. I think he would be happy to come and visit you.”

“Alright, what's going on here?” a stern voice came from the doorway, “Oh Captain, hello, I hope they're not annoying you. They're supposed to be having rests now.”

One of the nurses was standing at the side of the door, and he could see Darcy hovering behind her, camera still in hand. “Not at all,” he assured her, “in fact I've enjoyed talking to them, it's been an enlightening experience.”

“Sorry kids, it's time for me to go now, but I promise to talk to him when I see him later, okay?”

“Hey you guys want a photo with the Captain before you go? Is that ok?” Darcy asked the nurse as the kids all nodded enthusiastically. Darcy quickly arranged them around the wheelchair, before taking a few quick photos, and as they left, each child gave him a huge hug as they filed out the doorway, and he watched them go in quiet contemplation.

“You look tired.”

He glanced over at Darcy who was fiddling with the camera.

“It's been a surprisingly exhausting day.” he admitted.

“You looked happy.” she said, putting the camera down on the table, and coming to stand next to him, “you all did. And the kids, well I've never seen so many thrilled faces.” she smiled at him enthusiastically, bumping her hip against his, “You should definitely come back.”

“Yeah, yeah I reckon I will.” he said, smiling down at her. It was very easy to smile at Darcy he was discovering. She looked almost as tired as he felt, but in a good, happy way. He wondered if he looked the same. “Did you get lots of photos?” he asked, nodding towards the camera.

“Yeah, I got some great photos. Nat made me promise not to show anyone until we can all look together though, so sorry.”

They stood there in companionable silence for a few minutes, both lost in their own thoughts and then “I think you need a pick me up.” was all the warning he got as she turned into him, placed her hands on either side of his face, and then her lips were on his, warm, soft and oh so gentle. Almost of their own accord, his arms wrapped themselves around her, and she leaned into him as he responded in kind. Soft, weary, just enjoying the moment, she tasted like lemonade, and smelt slightly antiseptic, like the hospital, but it just seemed to fit. The gentle exploration was different to the last kiss they had shared but it suited his mood perfectly, and he felt a wave of soft heat break over him, and spread throughout his entire body.

“Well we just can't leave you two alone can we?”

Her lips stilled against his, and he felt her smile just before she pulled away, one hand gently stroking his face as she parted from him. She grinned at him wickedly as she turned towards Nat, complaining, “Gee Nat, you really know how to ruin a moment don't you?”

“It's a talent.” Nat quipped. “I just wanted to let The Man With a Plan here know that his jet is ready to leave when he is.”

“Oh, you're not staying for the dinner?” Darcy turned a disappointed face in his direction.

“Ah no, I've got somewhere else I have to be.” he replied, trying to ignore the smirk hovering on Nat's face. Most people wouldn't see it, but he knew her well enough to know that she was having a good laugh at his expense.

“Do you have time for one more thing before you go then?” she asked, and he was suddenly aware of a twinkle in her eye that somehow put a whole different spin on the smirk that Natasha was wearing.

He nodded, and she turned to Nat, “You still in?”

“Oh definitely, I do not want to miss this.”

“Come on then, follow me!”

Darcy led the way towards the elevators, and Bucky took the opportunity to mutter, “What's going on now?” to Tasha, who just smiled enigmatically, and said “You'll see.”

A short time later they were in the hospital cafeteria and Bucky found himself, along with all of his team mates, standing under a big sign that said “Free Hugs! Choose Your Superhero Now!!” and a line of staff, visitors and patients, that just got longer as the word spread, each waiting for their turn with their favourite. He didn't know how long they were there, but with each hug and murmured comment he found himself feeling better and better, and he also found himself being able to tell the difference between who was giving the hug to him, and who was needing a hug from him. Some people were laughing, others were crying, but he could feel the uplift in the mood of the whole room as they hugged their way through the crowds of people. Eventually they had to call a stop to it, even though the line didn't seem to have reduced at all, but there were no protests or objections, and the people in the room applauded them as the left.

“Wow.” Scott said once they were safely back in the elevator. “That was incredible.”

“It's a proven scientific fact that hugs can help heal sickness, disease, loneliness, depression, anxiety and stress.” Darcy informed them, “So I figured who wouldn't take the opportunity of hugging a superhero? Especially in a hospital, plus I was pretty sure that you guys could all benefit as well.”

Sam was nodding his head, “That is very true, and thank you for thinking of it. I can't remember the last time I had a really good hugging session like that.”  
“Not a problem.”

As the elevator arrived at the floor where rooms had been set aside for them to rest and change before the dinner Darcy found herself the unexpected recipient of several superhero hugs, as they got out, although Natasha held Bucky back, to maintain the fiction of his leaving.

“Oh, you're leaving now, aren't you?” Darcy said to him as she realised they were still in the elevator.

“Unfortunately yes, but I'm sure I'll see you again soon.”

“I look forward to it.” she said as she quickly pressed a kiss to his cheek, and the followed Sam and Scott down the hallway.

He could see Natasha watching Darcy thoughtfully as the elevator doors closed, and as she turned back to him he just said, “Don't.”

“Don't what?”

“Just, don't. I don't know what, but don't.”

Nat shook her head at him, “You're as bad as Steve.”

He laughed at that, “No one's as bad as Steve.”

“Okay, well maybe not, but I think you should watch out with that one. She may not have started asking the awkward questions yet but she's smarter than she lets on, and she notices discrepancies.”  
“What are you saying Nat?”

“I'm saying that I think she thinks she's kissing someone completely different, and if it keeps going on, there could be trouble. Tell me, how will you react if she does that when Steve is back?”

He was surprised to realise that he wouldn't like that at all, and he knew that Nat could see that thought all over his face. “Damn, so what do I do?”  
“Well, I guess that depends on what you want to do. But maybe start by letting her get to know Bucky Barnes properly, and stay away from her whilst you're wearing Captain America mantle. Give her a chance to become attached to you, and not the suit... if that's what you want.”

He ran his hands over his face, and the need to go get out of the suit became overwhelming.

“Well I can see I've got some thinking to do.” he said, “I think I'll go...”

“Come on, I'll show you where you can shower and change in private. You can have a rest, we've got a couple of hours before we have to be on display again.”

She hooked her arm through his and they walked down the hallway together.

 

 


	5. Dinner and Dancing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky makes a phone call, gets a talking at and breaks out some rusty moves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is brought to you by The Olympics, waiting in the car, and the audiobook I'm currently listening to.  
> I was trying to keep the dinner thing all in one chapter, but I found a good stopping point, and I've probably got a couple more days of brainstorming and writing before I wrap it up, so here's part one...

After Natasha left to do her own thing Bucky peeled himself out of the costume, and after a quick shower changed into the suit that Nat had left for him. Then he lay himself down on the narrow bed that was in the room, and lost himself in thought. He was still overwhelmed by the conversation he had had with Beth and the other kids, and then there was the thing with Darcy to consider as well. That issue he decided to shelve for the moment, and then on a whim, he fished out his phone, and called Steve.

 

“Hey Buck, wasn't expecting to hear from you, how are things going?” Steve's greeting was cheerful and Bucky smiled to hear his friends voice.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Ah, sure, what's up?” he could hear a hint of concern colour Steve's voice, and put it to rest straight away.

“Do you have a fan club?”

“A fan club?”

“Yeah, a fan club.”

He could almost hear Steve trying to figure out why he was asking this question, but wasn't about to let him off the hook too quickly.

“Well, yeah, most of the Avengers have fan clubs. I don't actually have much to do with mine, but every now and then I'll sign some promotional material or merchandise for them, or do a photo shoot or something like that. Why do you ask?”

“I met some fans today.” he paused, and Steve waited, knowing instinctively that there was more, “Fans of the Winter Soldier.”

“They are out there you know. Most of them are a little nuts, but there are some good ones.” Steve teased him.

“Most of them are psychotic Steve, these ones, these ones are different though. They're sick kids, who've all lost an arm, or a leg, or more, and they called themselves my fan club.”

“Well that sounds like a good thing, how do you feel about it?”

Bucky sighed and ran his hand through his hair and over his face, “I... I'm pretty overwhelmed actually Steve but... I wanna do something for them. I'm gonna go back, as myself... actually they were pretty vocal about wanting a visit from the Winter Soldier Steve.”

“That sounds really good Buck, I'm happy for you.”  
“Yeah. Hey Steve? How would I go about getting Stark to talk me?”

“You want to talk to Tony?” He could hear the surprise in Steve's voice.

“Well it's his hospital, so I should probably talk to him if I want to do something to help out, right?”  
“Absolutely Buck, that's a good idea. I can call him, or Pepper, she'd be happy to help I think.”

“That'd be good. It's a start anyway.”

“Actually, I do know one way that would be almost guaranteed to get his attention.”  
“Yes??” Bucky asked warily.

“How would you feel about letting Tony take a look at your arm? He's a sucker for any technology he hasn't had a chance to dissect, and I'd bet my shield that he'd do almost anything if it meant he could get his hands on your arm for a bit.”

“Actually Steve I think that'd be perfect. Maybe I can do some good with this thing for a change. Thanks pal.”

“It's not a problem at all Buck. Oh, and Buck?”

“Yeah?”

“I don't know where Nat rustled that suit from but I've never been so grateful to be on vacation in my whole life. Even the original suit wasn't quite that...” Steve trailed off as he ran out of words.  
“Shiny? Bright? Garish?” Bucky suggested.

“Yeah, all of that.” Steve laughed down the phone. “Did you respect this one?”  
“Shove it Steve.”  
“I don't think I could respect that suit either Buck, I'll let you off on this one.” he could hear the smirk on Steve's face.

“Whatever you think you know, it's wrong.”

“Oh, somehow I doubt that very much Bucky.”  
“Yeah, alright, I got a dinner to go to.”

“Talk to you later then Buck, you try and enjoy yourself tonight okay?”

“Thanks again Steve, I'll do my best. G'bye.”  
“Bye Buck.”

Bucky hung up the phone just as a knock came on the door, and when he opened it Sam and Scott were on the other side.

“You ready for this Barnes?” Sam asked

“'Bout as ready as I'll ever be. Lets go.”

 

 

Steve looked at his phone, and then sent off a quick group text.

_Keep the photos coming guys, I want to see everything._

 

 

Bucky couldn't recall of ever hearing of a hospital that had half of one entire floor dedicated to a ballroom, but he supposed that Starks considered ballrooms as essential criteria, especially in a hospital that got a lot of funding from charitably minded persons and organisations. The room was arranged in a horseshoe fashion around the central dance floor, with dining tables down the two long sides, large tables of food for the buffet-style meal at the top of the curve, and a bar behind the tables on the far side of the room. At the main entrance there were two tables set up prom-style, where he and the other two men were provided with name tags and their seating arrangements before they went in.

There were many well dressed people in the ballroom, and Bucky felt like he both blended in with the crowd, and stood out like a sore thumb, both at the same time. He had chosen to refrain from wearing a glove on his left hand for the evening, and could feel the looks that he was getting as he followed Sam and Scott to the bar. Once they were well supplied with drinks, they moved into the crowd, and started mingling.

Bucky couldn't remember the last time he'd participated in idle, meaningless small talk, and after several awkward encounters he retreated to his table with a plate of food, and occupied himself by watching the crowd, and people spotting.

Sam and Scott were both deep in conversation, and he could see Vision engaged what he suspected was a conversation as awkward as any that he'd been involved in already. He watched as Nat smoothly inserted herself into the group, and the looks of mild panic on the faces decreased momentarily, before coming back a vengeance, and the group scattered like a flock of startled birds. He'd have to remember to ask Nat about that later, whatever she'd said, it must have been impressive to get that kind of reaction. And then he caught sight of Darcy through a gap in the dancers moving around the centre of the room. She was standing on the opposite side of the room, with Wanda, and several guests, and she looked like an absolute dream. Her hair was hanging loose over her shoulders, and her floor length dark blue dress reminded him of the pre-dawn light, when the sky was just beginning to lighten, and the stars glowed softly. Her red lips parted in a smile as she waved her hands around in the air, deep in the retelling of one of her stories and he sat in admiration as his view of her flickered in and out as the dancers moved between them.

His gaze was interrupted as Sam slid into a seat opposite him, “How have you managed to avoid the clutches of New York's barracuda elite?” he grumbled.

Bucky actually chuckled, “You'd be surprised how many people want to talk to the Winter Soldier,” he said, “can't you see them all lining up to find out all my secrets?”

“Eh, point taken.” Sam conceded, “Maybe I'll stick with you from now on.”  
“Don't do anything you'll regret.” Bucky countered, as they were joined by an elderly woman who plonked herself down next to Bucky with an offhand, “So what's a handsome young man like you sitting over here on his own when he could be out breaking hearts on the dance floor?”

Both men stared at her in startled bewilderment for a moment before Bucky found a reply, “Er, ma'am, I'm not alone.” indicating Sam with a gesture.

“Well, you were alone when I started in this direction,” she said, “and anyway, I see no ladies here with either of you, now who can I... oh there.” They both watched in amused silence as she waved vigorously at someone, and moments later a young woman approached the table. “Sybil dear, take this young man here for a dance,” she waved her hand at Sam, “I want to talk to this Soldier fellow.”

Sam stood up, his “don't mess with little old ladies' instincts taking over, and sent Bucky a look that said he'd definitely gotten the better part of this deal, and took Sybil's hand and led her out to the dance floor, leaving Bucky alone with his new companion.

“Now tell me,” she said, her gaze piercing him to his seat, “what are you sitting over here on your own for?”

“Uh, well most people don't know what to say to me, ma'am.” he said, “and honestly, I usually don't know what to say to them.”

“Goodness me, you're an intelligent fellow, I'm sure you could come up with something.” her crisp British accent and take-no-prisoners attitude was reminding him of Peggy Carter, and strangely enough, he found himself relaxing. “Easier said than done.” he replied, picking up his drink and taking a sip.

“Hmm, well yes, I can see how that would happen, but you know, if you don't get out there and practice, you'll never get the hang of it. Now tell me, what do you plan to do with yourself now that the brainwashed assassin gig is a bust? Are you going to become an Avenger and run around in tights with the rest of them, or what?”  
Bucky choked on his drink, no one had been this direct with him since, well since ever. Even Steve tended to dance around the subject.

“Um, I'm still figuring it out. A lot of people don't think I should be out in the world at all, let alone joining a team like the Avengers.” he said, wondering who the hell was this woman, and why was she talking to him like an overly concerned bossy aunt?

“Oh don't go worrying about what other people think,” she insisted, “what do they know? Just because they have an opinion doesn't mean it's an intelligent one, and there's no point in wasting second chances when they're handed to you, and this one's wrapped up so prettily too. Now, I need another drink,” she waved at another random person he couldn't see in the crowd, “and you need to dance with that lovely girl you've been watching all evening. Go on, off with you, I'll be right here when you bring her back. Two tunes at least young man, and I want to see you put some effort in. I know you've got it in you, I can see it in your eyes.” she leaned towards him, “go on, shoo!”

Before he realised what was happening, Bucky was on his feet and walking around the edge of the dance floor to where Darcy was entertaining another group of people, his body automatically responding to the authority in the woman’s voice. He gave himself a mental shake as he approached Darcy and her companions, prepared to have another go at this conversation thing, and plucking up the courage to ask her to dance with him.

“Hey Barnes, I was just thinking about you,” she greeted him with a huge smile.

“Should I be worried?” he asked.

“Hmm, probably not, I was just wondering who your new friend was.” she said as she looked pointedly at where the feisty old lady was staring at them.

“I actually have no idea,” he said, “she just came up to and started talking, but she certainly knows who I am.”

He followed Darcy's gaze, and then turned back to her. May as well just do it, he decided. “Would you like to dance with me?” he asked.

She gave him the once over, and then chewed on her lip for a moment, whilst tapping it with her forefinger, as if she was considering the meaning of life, the universe and everything, instead of whether or not to dance with him. He pulled his mesmerised gaze back to her twinkling eyes when she spoke again, “Well, you do scrub up pretty well, I guess I wouldn't be ashamed to be seen with you.”

“Is that a yes Lewis?”

“Yes it's a yes,” she grinned up at him, “c'mon, show me your moves.”

“My moves are pretty rusty doll, don't get your hopes up.” he said as she grabbed his hand and dragged him onto the floor.

A short time later he was still feeling fairly gratified at discovering that his moves weren't as rusty as he thought they were, and he held her close as they moved gracefully through the crowd. He found that he was feeling more relaxed than he had for a long time.

“So how are you anyway,” Darcy asked him as the music changed and slowed down, “enjoying yourself?”  
“I am now.” he replied, and she laughed.

“I saw that second group of people you tried to talk to, it looked pretty awkward.”

“I don't know what to say to them, then the minute they hear who I am, they don't know what to say to me.” he shrugged.

“Well it probably doesn't help that you just come out and say 'hey, I'm the Winter Soldier' in that grumpy fight me voice you use.” she pointed out. “Why don't you just say 'hi, I'm James Barnes' instead?”

“I... I don't know. I figure if I just let it out there it'll be better?”

“Well that's obviously not working is it?”

“It didn't seem to bother you.” he said quietly.

“I hang with Thor, and I consider Nat a close personal friend. I'm not your typical girl.” she looked up at him pointedly as she said this.

“No, no you're not.” he stared back at her as an idea sparked in his brain, “Maybe I should just keep you as my personal conversation starter for the rest of the evening, what do you think?”

“As long as I get bathroom breaks.” she countered, “And you start calling me Darcy instead of Lewis.”  
“Deal.” he said, “and you can call me Bucky.”

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> btw, un-beta'd, let me know if you see any mistakes or inconsistencies please. Feedback always welcome.


	6. I Will Fight For My Right To Dessert As I See Fit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there is more dancing and lots of cake. ALL the cake!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is brought to you by procrastination, writers block, the deletion of about a thousand words, Zumbos Just Desserts and a really weird movie about droughts and robots… and Offspring. 
> 
> So I finally had to come to some sort of decision regarding if this is set in canon or not... and I decided not. In this AU, Civil War hasn't happened, but probably most of the plot regarding the Winter Soldier remains. And Tony knows the truth of his parents death, and naturally, he and Bucky aren't exactly friends. I'm really just making it all up as I go along.

Steve scrolled through the photos that he'd been receiving regularly throughout the afternoon. It was good to see his team mates getting out and about, and although he had been glad not to be wearing the hideous thing that Bucky had had to put on today, he did miss being there with them. Plus they all looked like they were having fun. And Bucky was dancing. Now that he really wished he could witness first-hand. He stared along the beach, wondering if it was time to go home yet. Maybe not quite, but soon.

 

 

 

“You know, as much as I think we should go test out your conversational skills on ordinary people, I'm really enjoying this. Do you mind if we keep dancing a little longer? I don't get to do this very often you know.” 

He looked down at Darcy and nodded, “Anything you want,” he said, “I can't remember the last time I danced with a beautiful woman like you.”

“Oh hush,” she blushed, “flattery will get you everywhere dude.” The note of sarcasm in her voice made him doubt the words, but he figured they were worth remembering for later, just in case.

He pulled her in tight against his body as the music changed, and spun her around the floor, just enjoying the freedom of the movement, and the feel of the woman in his arms. He was pretty sure that this was the happiest he'd felt in a long time, but just as he was wondering if they'd be able to stay like that for the rest of the evening, he spotted something that was almost as high on his list of 'best things in the world' as they swung past the buffet tables. It was now heavily laden with all manner and variety of desserts.

“Hey Darcy, do you see what I see?” he asked as he turned her to face the table.

“Ohmygods they have ALL the cake! Come on!” Darcy pulled out of his embrace but maintained a strong grip on his hand as she dragged him towards the table. “Oh wow, there's so much to choose from, how am I doing to decide?”

Bucky surveyed the table as Darcy continued muttering to herself, and knew exactly what he was going to have. He selected a plate, and then turned to see what Darcy had chosen.

“Really?” he arched an eyebrow at her, “All of that?”

“Hey, you do not get to judge me for my dessert choices. I mean, really, is that all you're having? One piece of chocolate cake? Just one piece?”  
“If I'm not allowed to judge, then neither are you.” he countered. “Although... you do have a point.” He admitted after a moment of thoughtful consideration, and he turned around to swipe a second plate. “Okay, now I'm happy. Shall we?”

He followed Darcy as she juggled her plates back to his table, which was now completely empty. The cake was quite possibly the best he'd ever eaten, but he didn't realise how audible he was in expressing his enjoyment until Darcy poked him in the ribs with her elbow. “Dude, pipe down, I mean I know these desserts are awesome, but you're starting to attract attention.”

He paused with his fork halfway to his mouth and gaped at her, “What?”

“Bucky, you're moaning and groaning all over the place. Maybe take it down a notch?”  
He rested the fork on the side of his plate and turned to look at her properly, “Are you judging me on the way I eat my cake now? Because I really think that this might just be the most delicious cake I've ever eaten.” and he picked up the fork again, shoved the cake into his mouth, and then slowly licked the cream from around his mouth, staring her down as he did so.

“Really?” she stared back. “Well I think I need to test your hypothesis.” and she grinned at him as she grabbed the hand holding his next mouthful of cake, and swiftly brought it her own mouth. He watched, mesmerised as she dragged the piece of cake off the fork, and then licked her lips just like he had, never taking her eyes from his.

“Mmmm,” she said, “you're right, this is very good chocolate cake... but I think my cheesecake is better. Here, try.” Before he could reply she was holding a forkful of creamy white cake in front of him. “Open up.” she ordered, as she brought the fork up to his mouth.

 

 

Steve pulled his phone out of his pocket as a rapid string of messages arrived. They all showed the same thing, from several different angles. He laughed to himself, okay, so maybe he should stay away a little bit longer.

 

 

“Mmm, that's actually really good.” Bucky mumbled through the mouthful of cake Darcy had just shoved in his mouth. “What is it?”

“Cheesecake. My absolute favourite dessert ever.”  
“Cake made out of cheese? It doesn't taste like cheese.” Bucky observed.

Darcy smiled at him as she took another mouthful of the cheesecake, “They use soft mild cheeses, like mascarpone, cream cheese, or ricotta,” She leaned closer, and lowered her voice conspiratorially “and you can get it in chocolate too.”

His eyes widened at that. “I can get this in chocolate? Do they have any here tonight?” He craned his neck to look at the buffet tables as Darcy shook her head.

“Nope, just this one here tonight, but I make a pretty mean cheesecake so I could make you one. If you want.”

“You’d make me a chocolate cheesecake?” 

“Sure, I haven’t actually baked since Jane and I moved in with you guys, so why not? C’mon, what are friends for anyway? I’ll make you cake and we can watch more old musicals together. Waddya think?”

“Yeah, I like that idea, sounds really good.” Anything else he might have been feeling or wanting to say was forgotten as Sam and Scott dropped into the chairs on either side of him and Darcy.

“Hey, that's mine,” he protested as Sam went for his remaining piece of cake, “get your own.” He deftly defended his plate as the other man attempted to commit grand theft chocolate cake.

“You owe me a piece of cake Barnes, gimme it.”  
“Get lost Wilson, I don't owe you a damn thing.”

Darcy's laughter rolled over the table. “Oh gods, you guys are like children.”

“Nah, these two are worse than children,” Scott said, “I should know, I have one.”  
“You have a kid?” Darcy asked, “I didn't know that.”  
“Yeah, I've got a daughter, Cassie, she lives with her mom. She's amazing, I really miss her.” Scott smiled fondly, “and she's definitely better behaved than these two idiots though.”

“Are they always like this?” Darcy asked as she and Scott watched the other two continuing to bicker over the piece of cake.

Scott considered for a moment, and then nodded his head. “Definitely. In fact, sometimes, they're worse.”

“And these are the people we trust to save the world.” Darcy shook her head as they watched with amusement as the squabble continued. “Should I just go and get more cake?” she wondered, “or would that be spoiling their fun?”

Scott shrugged, “Up to you really, Barnes will probably win, he usually does.”

“Okay the, well if they miss me, I'll be back in a bit. You want anything?”  
Scott shook his head, “Only if there's anything here you'll really miss.” he waved at the plates in front of her. Darcy grinned, “Go for it.”

As Sam finally surrendered and conceded cake defeat Bucky realised that Darcy had disappeared. “Hey, where'd Darcy go?” he asked Scott, who was devouring Darcy's leftover desserts.

“You two idiots scared her off.” he mumbled around a mouthful of something sticky.

“Don't be silly Scott, Darcy doesn't scare that easily. She was probably just making a strategic retreat.” Nat slid into Darcy's recently vacated seat, and managed to swipe what was left of Bucky's cake in one fell swoop. “Which is just one of the reasons why she's perfect for our frosty relic here.”

“Natasha...” Bucky groaned. She just lifted an eyebrow at him as she finished the cake off.

“Yes, but are we sure he's right for her?” Sam asked. “I'm having my doubts after getting to know her a bit better. She's got guts and determination, and she doesn't care what anyone else thinks of her, she's a real firecracker. I don't think he's got the chops to keep up with her.”

“Hmm, I think you might have a point there Sam,” Scott agreed, “I am yet to see any solid evidence that he has the same level of bad-assery that she does. I mean, sure, he's been waving Steve's shield around a bit lately, but she tased a god dude! What have you done recently that even compares to that?” he challenged Bucky, who just shook his head.

“Don't forget, she's battled dark elves and helped save the world as well.” Nat reminded them.

“Dark elves?” Bucky questioned. He couldn't remember hearing anything about dark elves, but then there were a lot of things he hadn't heard about.

“Oh, that was the London thing right?” Scott asked eagerly, “I saw bits on the news when it happened, but I haven't heard that whole story yet.”

“Well isn't it lucky she's on her way back then?” Natasha nodded in the direction of the buffet tables as Darcy, Wanda and Vision walked towards them, hands overflowing with plates.

“Hey everyone, who wants more cake?”

Everyone put their hands up as Scott begged Darcy to tell them about London, and Bucky just sat back with his cake, and listened as Darcy turned an alien invasion into a rollicking tale of possession, portals to other worlds and narrow escapes.

“Hey, is it just me, or is the crowd starting to thin out?” Sam asked as her tale drew to a close, looking around. “Is it too soon for us to make an escape, or are we supposed to stay until the bitter end?”

“We only need to stay for a little longer.” Wanda said as she finished off her cake. “But we do need to say goodbye to some people first.”  
“Ooh, thanks for the reminder Wanda, I need to go talk to a couple of people before I leave.” Darcy said as she got to her feet. “Who's staying at the Tower tonight?” Everyone except Bucky raised their hands, “What, you're going back on your own?” she frowned, “You should come with us, no one will mind you know.”  
He shook his head, “Stark won't want me in his tower.”

“Tony's an idiot.” Darcy stated, and he could see most of the others nodding their heads in agreement. “He won't even notice, in fact I don't even think he's in New York at the moment. Just, think about it okay? I mean, we'd all much rather you stayed there with us, instead of flying around on your own. Think about it.” she placed her hand on his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze, before stepping away. “Alright, I'll see everyone else later, team breakfast in the common room on the Avengers floor tomorrow.”

Darcy waved goodbye to them as she took off across the floor.

“Well, I suppose I should leave too.” Bucky said, “Don't wanna be flying too late.”  
“She's right you know, Tony won't even notice.” Natasha said quietly, fiddling with a serviette. “You should just come with us. Tony keeps a whole floor for Avengers who need to come into the city, and you can use Steve's room, seeing as he's not here.”  
“Nope, not gonna happen. I won't go where I'm not wanted Nat, not unless I get an invitation, and even then I'll probably have to think about it.”  
“Not even for Darcy? She obviously wants you to stay, she wouldn't have said so otherwise.”

“She was just being polite.”

“You really think that?” Sam asked. “She spent most of her evening with you. Girls don't usually spend time with a guy unless she enjoys his company.”

“She's not interested in me like that Wilson.”

“Oh I don't know about that.” Nat demurred, “She was feeding you cake.”  
He could see Sam wiggling his eyebrows out of the corner of his eye and sighed.

“She was judging my dessert choices.” he retorted, “ That was torturing me with cake. Nothing more, nothing less.”  
“Damn, you're a bigger idiot than I thought.” Sam shook his head, grinning.

“Don't you lot have anything better to do?” he asked, “Like, I don't know, leave?”

“Nope.”

“Not really.”

“I'm good.”

“You sure, this thing's over, you don't have to stay any longer.” even he could hear the increasing note of hopeful desperation in his voice.

“Nuh.”

“I think you're stuck with us a little longer Barnes.” Nat drawled.

“I hate you all.”

“No you don't.”

“Yeah, well I think that might be up for debate right now.”

“Hey, it could be worse.” Scott said as he scraped his third plate.

“Yeah, how do you figure that out?”

“Tony Stark could have just walked through the doors and be headed in our direction.” Scott nodded his head towards the door. “Oh hang on, he is.”

“What?” Everyone turned their heads to see that Scott was right, and Tony Stark was walking towards where they were all sitting, exchanging brief greetings with several guests as he made his way through the thinning crowd.

“I thought Darcy said he wasn't in New York at the moment.” Sam said.

“He wasn't.” Natasha said bluntly, glancing sidelong at Bucky. “He must have a good reason for being here though.”

Everyone watched as Tony finally reached the table, an enigmatic expression on his face.

“Good evening, Avengers. Hope you're all having a good time.”

“Thank you Tony, it's been a lovely evening.” Natasha responded. “We weren't expecting to see you.”

Tony scratched the back of his head, “Some urgent business brought me back to New York, so I thought I'd drop by and say hello. I hope you're all staying at the Tower tonight? Everyone? You all know you're welcome right?”

Bucky looked away as Natasha replied, “Yes Tony, we're all staying at the Tower tonight.”

He sent her a subtle glare, which she studiously ignored as she exchanged a few more pleasantries with Stark. It wasn't until everyone else at the table got up and left, that he realised Stark was talking to him.

“...in case I wasn't clear before, consider yourself invited to stay at the Tower. You can use Steve's room for now.”  
“Why?” Bucky asked, “Why now?”

Tony looked down for a moment and then shoved his hands in his pockets. “Sometimes you get to a point in your life where you need to figure out what's really important. I'll be in my workshop at the Tower for the next couple of days, and a certain spangly friend told me that your arm is need of some maintenance, so if you want to drop by, I'll be there.”

They stared at each other for a few moments, and then Bucky nodded.

“Okay, I'll come by.”

Tony nodded back, “Good. I'll see you later then.”

He turned to leave, and then turned back again, “Oh and if you need some help with anything else, I'm open to negotiations.” He nodded again, and then left before Bucky could respond. He hadn't expected such a quick response after he'd asked Steve to put in a good word, but maybe the time was right to mend some bridges, and he was smart enough not to look a gift horse in the mouth.

He got to his feet, and went looking for his team mates. 

 

 

_So Stark showed up tonight._

_That's good to hear Buck._

_I'm staying at the Tower tonight, he's gonna take a look at my arm tomorrow._

_That's great news._

_Yeah it is... So the decorations in your room..._

_Yeah, I really gotta do something about that._

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as usual, unbeta-ed, so if you spot any mistakes or screwy wording etc, please let me know.


	7. Colour Me Unexpected

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there is colouring in, Tony and Bucky have a chat, and Jane and Darcy get themselves in a little bit of trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is brought to you by more Offspring, more Zumbos Just Desserts, Civil War (twice), Man of Steel, and 10 Cloverfield Lane.
> 
> So I really want someone to write an MCU version of last weeks episode of Offspring... the one with the Zombies in it...
> 
> Also, I discovered how to put links in!! [The Original Prompt from Usedkarma](http://usedkarma.tumblr.com/post/147044691875/know-what-i-want-more-from-wintershock-fics-darcy)

 

When Bucky woke up the next morning, it took him a moment to remember where he was, and then another moment to realise that he'd actually slept for once. He usually only needed that kind of sleep after missions. After a quick shower, and a rummage through Steve's wardrobe for something to wear, he set off to find food, and the rest of the team.

When he finally found his way to the Avengers common area, after some unexpected help from a disembodied voice in the elevator, it was to find Scott and Darcy sitting at a large table, with a collection of pens, pencils, textas and crayons strewn all around them, and numerous pieces of paper spread over the surface. There was little girl lying on the floor next to them, enthusiastically colouring in what looked like a picture of AntMan. Darcy looked up as he stepped out of the elevator, and he could see the surprise on her face as she realised who it was, and then a huge smile lit up her face, and he felt himself smile back automatically.

“Hey Bucky! You changed your mind!”

“Yeah, got an offer I couldn't refuse.” he said as he wandered past the table. “What're ya doin'? Are you colouring in?” he asked, glancing idly at the table as he continued in to the kitchen area and started hunting around for food.

“Yeah, I stole some of the pictures they had out at the hospital yesterday, cos I mean, hell why not?” Darcy said as she chose a new colour. “Yeah, but, colouring? At your age?” he called out as he peered into the fridge.

“Adult colouring is a thing you know Bucky. It's good for stress relief, relaxation and letting out your inner artist. Plus, Cassie wanted a picture of her dad to take home with her.”

“Who's Cassie?” he asked absently as he found a bowl and filled it with something that was probably far too sweet for breakfast but would do for now.

“Oh, this is my daughter.” Scott chimed in, “remember, I told you about her last night? Well, when I called her last night after we left the party, her mom told me that she was actually coming over for a short business trip, so Cassie came too. They flew in from San Francisco this morning. Hey Peanut, this is Bucky, one of my friends from the Avengers. You remember me telling you about him?”

Bucky wandered back to the table with a bowl of cereal in one hand, and a cup of coffee in the other, and sat down. The little girl looked up at him and waved. “Hello. I'm Cassie. You're the Winter Soldier aren't you?”  
Bucky momentarily considered being taken aback at yet another casual mention of his alter ego but after yesterday, he decided he couldn't be bothered. “Yeah, I am but you can call me Bucky.”

“Okay Bucky. I'm gonna colour you a picture before I have to go home.”

“Well thanks.” he said, wondering if he should say anything else. “I can't wait to see it.” He glanced over at Darcy, who watching him with an encouraging smile. She gave him a quick, discrete thumbs up, and then went back to her colouring.

As he ate his cereal he ran his eyes over the table, and then picked up one of the pieces of paper, carefully maintaining a straight face as he looked at a drawing of the Black Widow that had been carefully coloured in with fluorescent green and yellow. “Has Natasha seen this?” he asked, swallowing a mouthful of cereal as he did so.

“It was her idea.” Scott said, as he concentrated on the small details of his own picture. “You should ask her for a look at the one she did herself. I think she said she was gonna take it home and hang it in her room or something.”

Bucky put the picture down and picked up another one, this time a picture of the Falcon, decorated in bright purple and yellow. “And what about this one, has Sam seen this? And if not, can I be there when he does?” he asked. “It's so... lurid.”

“Sure,” said Darcy, “You wanna have a go? I've got at least one version of everyone here, and I made multiple copies so everyone can have a go.” She leaned over and popped back up holding a folder which she flipped open on the table in front of her. She quickly flipped through it and selected half a dozen or so pages which she presented to him with a flourish.

“You should totally start with a Captain America one Barnes,” Scott said innocently, “you're pretty familiar with how it should look aren't you?”

Bucky ignored him as he looked through the stack of pages Darcy had handed him. There was Iron Man, Black Widow, Falcon, Ant Man, Captain America, and... “There's colouring in pages of the Winter Soldier?” he asked, still managing to be completely unprepared for the casual mentions of the soldier.

“Of course,” Darcy said, “You're a big part of the Captain America story, you think everyone's just gonna ignore that?"

“I, no it's fine, I just never expected it.” Bucky relaxed again, this was a good thing, wasn't it? “So, where is everyone anyway?” he asked, unsubtly changing the subject.

“Nat, Sam and Wanda went shopping, and I think Vision is off visiting Tony or something.” Darcy said. “I'm waiting for Jane to arrive, but she does have some appointments this afternoon, so if you want, we could go shopping or something as well.”

“Shopping? What for?” He asked.

She looked up at him, “Anything really, I know you don't really get out much, hell, none of you do. You all mope around the compound if there's nothing else going on, and I just thought you might like to get out and have a look around while you had the opportunity.”

He pushed his now empty bowl away, and crossed his arms over his chest, “I ah, I actually have a thing I need to do, but if there's time after that, then yeah, sounds good.”

“Okay then,” she beamed at him, “you just come find me when you're done with whatever it is you're doing, and then we'll go hit the shops.”

He took another look at the pictures on the table, and as he stood up, he pointed to a couple. “You wanna save those ones for me? I'll get them off you later.”  
“Sure, I'll keep them safe for you.” As Darcy tucked them safely into another folder down by her chair, her phone chimed softly. He watched her as her face lit up reading the message, and then she was out of her chair, and heading for the elevator. “Okay, I'll be back in a little while, Jane's almost here, I'll see you later Bucky, Scott. Bye Cassie, it was awesome to meet you!” She waved at them all, walking backwards into the elevator, and then the doors closed and she was gone.

When Bucky looked back around Scott was grinning at him in delight.

“What?”

“Taking your girl on a date eh Barnes?”

“Shopping Scott, we're going shopping. Shopping isn't a date.”

“You keep telling yourself that.”

“You know what, I gotta go.” Bucky said as he got up, and took his dirty dishes into the kitchen.

“Yeah, what have you got to do when you weren't even going to stay here last night?” Scott asked, half turning in his chair to watch Bucky rinse his cup and bowl.

“Stark's gonna take a look at my arm.” Bucky confessed. “And it's not cos you're not doing a good job keeping it running for me, I just...”  
“Hey man, it's ok, I understand.” Scott nodded. “Stark might be an asshole, but he's an asshole who knows his stuff, and it's probably a bit more up his alley than mine anyway.”

“Yeah, but you actually like me.” Bucky pointed out. “Stark wouldn't exactly cry if I turned up dead or something.”

“Damn, how'd you figure me out?” Scott said, “I thought I'd been so careful not to let on.”  
“You're not that good Lang.” Bucky retorted as he came back out of the kitchen.

Scott pouted a little bit, “I guess I'll just have to try harder.” he said.

“Too late. Cat's out of the bag already Scott.”

“Yeah, I guess you're right about that.” Scott turned back to his colouring, and then looked at Bucky again.

“So how long should I wait?” he asked.

“What?” Bucky was confused at the sudden change in subject.

“Before I come looking for you. How long before you and Stark try to kill each other?”  
Bucky snorted, “Well if we're not at each others throats in the first five minutes we'll probably be fine.”  
Scott nodded, “Well if you need me to come rescue you...”  
“And how would you even know?” Bucky asked.

“Umm... I know, hey FRIDAY, if Barnes here says “White Rabbit” can you let me know?”  
“Certainly Mr Lang.” the disembodied voice responded.

“What the hell is that anyway?” Bucky asked.

“Stark's AI. It runs the building. That's what Vision used to be before he became Vision.”  
“Okay, White Rabbit it is then. Okay Scott, I'll be in touch.” Bucky shoved his hands in his pockets, and headed for the elevator.

 

 

He stood outside the workshop doors for a good five minutes before he finally decided to go in. He couldn't see Stark anywhere, and he wandered through the room, looking around curiously at the room and it's collection of strange objects and machines.

“I see you made it.” Stark appeared from somewhere behind him.

“You sure you want me here?” he asked as he turned around.

“No. But I try not to run away from my demons any more.” Stark said frankly.

“So I'm a demon huh?”

“Barnes...”  
“No, I get it. That's... pretty apt really. Minion of hell, dealer of pain and suffering.” he searched Stark's face, trying to get a read on the other man. “And you know it all. Don't you?”

Stark replied, “I'm sure you know the old adage, keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. It would be stupid of me not to be familiar with your background.”

Silence filled the room. “Yeah I'm familiar with it. So... let me guess, you scoured every inch of every file you could find on me, right? Every damn word. So, I guess you know exactly what I've done. And what was done to me? Well, I have to live with that. Every. Damn. Day. And it's a real struggle most days.” He took a step closer, “You wanna know why? Cos I remember all of them. Every single one. Men. Women. Children.” he backed off again, “God, they even sent me after children. What could a child do that deserved to meet its end at the hands of the Winter Soldier?” He was struggling to control himself now, all the memories bubbling to the surface, when he usually kept them so tightly locked down. He closed his eyes for a moment, before continuing quietly.

“There's too many people dead by these hands Stark. And you know what, all I could do was scream, and bury myself so deep inside my own head that there was no me left any more.”

“You made it through though, you survived. And you've managed to come out the other side, pretty much intact.” he was surprised at the words coming from Stark.

“Yeah, I did. But I still have to live with it. All those memories.” he paused for a moment, and then ploughed on. “Like your parents. I'm sorry about all of them, but your parents... Howard recognised me. Called me by my name, first person in nearly 50 years to call me by my own name and I didn't even know it. Didn't know him, didn't know me, but he did. I only ever met him a couple of times you know. Don't know how he recognised me after so long but he did.”

“He had a really good memory.” Tony remarked quietly. Bucky nodded, it made sense.

“Anyway, I know it's not my fault, I know I had no choice... but I still have to live with it. I still did all those things.”  
Tony sighed and looked away, “You know, it took me a long time to come to terms with everything. If you had've been around when I first found out, I probably would have tried to kill you. Hell, I broke my hand punching Steve for not telling me when he first found out. But I've had time, and ... well let's just say that certain people, who love me more than I probably deserve, gave me a good talking to and opened up my eyes to some similarities I'd conveniently ignored. So, I'm sorry for what happened to you, and what they made you do. I've had a lot of time to think it through, and well, lets just say that there's those similarities that I mentioned before, which I'm sure you're well aware of, cause I bet you've read up on me too, right? Anyway, I'm not saying that I want to be best bosom buddies or anything like that, but... well, I don't want to be your enemy. So... truce?”

Bucky stared at him. This was not what he had expected when he walked through the workshop doors this morning, but it was certainly more than he'd ever expected.

“Huh,” he felt his lips twitch in the bare bones of a smile, “Steve's gonna be thrilled.”  
Stark ghosted a smile back, “Ugh, he'll be like a damn puppy with a new chew toy. Shall we look at this arm of yours?”

 

The next hour was quiet, punctuated by the occasional query and response, and Stark's faint mutterings as he explored the workings of Bucky's arm.

“You been getting regular maintenance on this thing?” the other man asked, “It looks like it's in pretty good condition.”

“Yeah, Lang's been doing regular work on it, but it doesn't usually need much, unless it's gotten damaged somehow.”

“This is actually quite a remarkable piece of technology,” Stark said frankly, sitting back on his stool, “and I honestly have no idea how they managed to to make something so advanced with the technology that they had available to them.”

“Yeah, well don't ask me, I know enough to keep it functional and that's about it.”  
Bucky looked over at Stark, considered his options, and then decided that it couldn't hurt to ask.

“Could you duplicate it? Improve on it? Could you copy this?”

Stark peered at him curiously, “Yeah, I could do that. It'd be a bit of work to start with. I'd need to get full scans, and I'd want to have a really good look inside it.”

“Would it be expensive?”  
Stark leaned back and folded his arms, “Does this have anything to do with yesterday’s hospital visit? And before you ask, yes, I know it was you in Cap's suit. I heard about your little fan club, and from more than one source.”  
“I wanna do something for those kids. And others like them.”

Stark stared at him for a moment, and then nodded. “Okay then, lets see what we can do. Mind if I call Lang down? If he's already familiar with your arm, he might be keen to help out.”  
“I can't see what he wouldn't. Go for it.”

“Friday, could you please locate Scott Lang and invite him down to the workshop? Tell him we're planning a project he might like to be involved in.”

“Certainly Boss. He says he'll be down in a few minutes.”

It didn't take long for Scott to arrive, with Darcy and Jane trailing behind him. The two women came in for a quick look, and after extracting promises from Scott and Bucky to meet them at a nearby cafe for lunch, they left on business of their own. After a half an hour or so of deep discussion it was decided that Scott and Bucky would organise deep scans of his arm back at the facility, and have them sent to Stark for analysis, and then the conversation degenerated into technical stuff that went straight over Bucky's head.

 

After they finished in the workshop, Bucky and Scott left to see who else was still around, and when they found themselves back in the common area, it was to find Natasha and Wanda engrossed in more colouring with Cassie, but no sign of Darcy or Jane.

“Sorry Bucky, they're not here. Darcy asked me to pass on her apologies, but she won't be able to make lunch or shopping this afternoon.” Nat said as they entered the room.

“Do you know why?” Bucky asked, a small pang of disappointment tickling in his mind.

“She and Jane got a message from someone at their old lab. Apparently the car that Darcy thought had been destroyed by several tonnes of rubble has been discovered mostly intact, so they'll be driving back to the compound either this afternoon, or tomorrow morning.”

“Will they be safe?” he asked.

“Don't worry,” Nat assured him, “she's promised to keep in touch, it's only a few hours driving if they don't need to stop. I did give her a tracker, and a panic button in view of the recent attacks.”

Bucky nodded and sat down, trying to ignore the niggling feeling of doubt in the back of his mind.

“So what does mostly intact mean?” he asked as he picked up a coloured pencil and began doodling on a piece of paper.

“I think...” she was interrupted as Sam strode into the room.

“So, are we hanging around here much longer, or are we heading home now?”

“I think we're all done here now Sam, Scott, is Cassie coming with us?”

Scott looked up from where he was sitting on the floor. “Nah, I'm going to stay here for another couple of days until she and her mom go home. We're gonna go the zoo.”

“Okay then, if everyone can get organised, we'll leave in half an hour.” Nat said, and began to pack up her share of the colouring pages.

It actually took over an hour before everyone was ready to leave, and then, just as Bucky was about to get onto the quinjet, Cassie came barrelling out of the elevator, Scott trailing behind her as she raced up to him, threw her arms around his waist in a big hug, and then handed him a picture. “It's a picture of you and Captain America.” she said as she grinned up at him. “I found it on the Internet, and coloured it in just for you.” She gave him another squeeze, and then ran back to her father, who swept her up in his arms, as Bucky walked up the ramp to the jet. They both waved enthusiastically as the door closed, and the jet took off. Bucky looked at the picture and grinned. He wondered if he could convince Steve that they needed new outfits.

 

 

They were about halfway back to the facility when Darcy began to suspect that they were being followed. She was absolutely certain that the red SUV that was currently two cars behind them, had been parked nearby when they'd stopped for fuel and snacks half an hour ago.

“Hey Jane, you see that big red car behind us?”  
Jane looked up from her tablet to peer behind them. “Wasn't it in the car park when we stopped a little while ago?”

“Yep, that's what I thought too Jane. Shall we experiment?”

Jane looked behind them again. “You've got a tracker?”

Darcy nodded, “In my earring. I've also got a panic button on my key chain. Wanna risk it?”

“Should we call Nat first?” her friend wondered.

“Nah, just keep a finger on the button, and we'll see what happens. Besides, you did your basic self defence with Nat, didn't you?”

“Ummm...” Jane failed at not looking guilty.

“Awww, Jane.” Darcy banged her head on the steering wheel as she pulled over. “Stay in the car then. And hold the button!” she shoved the keys into Jane's hand as she popped the hood, and got out of the car.

Two minutes later Jane panicked, and pushed the button.

 

Bucky was getting ready to go the gym for a while when Nat and Wanda found him. “Darcy's panic button has been activated,” Nat said, “suit up.” Bucky swore.

 

By the time they reached Darcy's location there was a small collection of emergency vehicles, including two police cars, a fire truck, three tow trucks and one ambulance. There was also a pile up of about four cars. Nat landed the quinjet as close as she could, and they disembarked.

“What the hell happened here?” Bucky asked, suddenly feeling quite conspicuous in the Cap suit.

“I'm not sure.” Nat replied, “but I think Darcy may have just added a new story to her collection.”

Wanda stifled a laugh as they approached the scene. They could hear Darcy talking loudly in the middle of a small crowd, which separated to let them through.

“Ohmygods Nat, Cap, Wanda, I'm so sorry. Jane pressed the button by mistake.” she waved her hand at a man who was talking with a policewoman behind her. “I pulled over cos I thought we were being followed, but we weren't, well we kind of were, but we weren't. This lovely gentleman over here,” she gave him a little wave, “just wanted to let me know that my brake lights have stopped working, But when he came up behind me I thought he was trying to kidnap Jane or something, so I ah, I hit him. And then his dog jumped out of his car's window, and ran into traffic, and that's when that happened.” She waved vaguely in the direction of the pile up.

Bucky and Natasha exchanged a look.

“This kind of thing happen to you a lot does it Miss Lewis?” he used his very best Cap voice for that sentence. It was either that, or laugh. A lot.

“Ah, can I decline to answer that on the grounds of possible self-incrimination?” she gave him a winning smile, and it took all of his self control to not melt at the sight of it.

“I think it might be a little late for that now,” he said, “don't you?”

She shrugged and looked over to where Jane was talking to Nat. “Maybe we should have just gone shopping like we planned.”

He looked at her sharply, and then realised that she obviously meant shopping with Jane, not him, and that thought disappointed him more than he would have expected. She looked back at him with an expression of interest.

“Do you have a minute?” she asked, and without waiting for an answer she grabbed his hand and tugged him towards the quinjet.

“What are you doing?” he asked as she dragged him up the ramp.

“This.” she replied, as she turned without any further warning, and lifted her head to press her lips firmly against his. One hand reached up behind his head to pull him closer, and the other wrapped firmly around his back as he leaned into her, his arms snaking down around her waist as he deepened the kiss, pressing for more as she responded in kind. This time she smelt like fresh breezes and petrol fumes, and it was intoxicating. “Why do you keep doing this?” he asked breathlessly. “Do you want me to stop?” she asked, and then prevented him from answering by plundering his mouth as she slid a hand down his back, and squeezed his butt. He retaliated by sliding his hands beneath her arse, and lifting her up, her legs wrapping themselves around him. “I'm gonna take that as a no.” she whispered into his ear as he kissed his way down her neck before returning to her delectable mouth.

“Well I've been wondering when it would be my turn to catch you in the act.” a smug voice said from the bottom of the ramp. Darcy released her legs, and slid back down to the floor, her face bent into his neck as she tried to catch her breath. He looked towards the bottom of the ramp.

“Wanda.”

“Captain. Darcy.” He tried to ignore the smirk on her face. Every damn time. He was starting to get heartily sick of all the interruptions.

“Natasha has offered your services to help clear the road.” Wanda informed him.

“Oh she has, has she?” he could hear Darcy trying to hold in a giggle beside him, and he looked down at her flushed face. He bent and put his lips close to her ear, and whispered, “This isn't over Miss Lewis.” before stalking down the ramp, surreptitiously adjusting the suit as he went.

 

 

 

 

_How do you feel about a suit redesign?_

_Is all that kissing going to your head?_

_Can't a man get any privacy around here?_

_Not when you're wearing my suit Buck._

.

.

.

_So where's the lecture about respect?_

_It doesn't seem to have done any good so far..._

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tried and tried but couldn't this to work in the chapter text... 
> 
>  
> 
> [The Original Colouring Page](http://coloringtop.com/animal-coloring-pages/winter-soldier-coloring-pages)


	8. We Have Normality, I Repeat We Have Normality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we get a taste of what might be considered normal for a week at The Avengers Compund, Bucky doesn't look before he leaps, Thor comes back, and Bucky likes Darcy's pyjamas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is brought to you by Offspring (again), The Princess Diaries, War of The Worlds and probably a few other things that I didn’t care enough about to remember. 
> 
> So I was doing some research to try and figure out what the Avengers facility actually looks like... inside and out... and was very amused to discover that in the aerial shots from Antman and Civil War, the buildings have all moved. They're still the same buildings, but they've moved. So much for continuity! And from what we get shown in Civil War, the common area does have some nice looking red couches, but the decoration on the whole is very sterile... couldn't see where the television is though...

 

 

He didn't see much of Darcy over the next few days. They'd been called out on a mission early the next morning, and when they'd gotten back Jane and Darcy had just taken delivery of a large order of electronics and other equipment, and had locked themselves away in the laboratory to build whatever it was that Jane needed for her research. Then, before he had a chance to make time for more than a passing visit to say hello, there was another incident, followed by another and another, and they ended up gone for nearly a week. They crawled back early one morning, every single one of them bone tired and wanting nothing more than food, a shower, and sleep. When everyone else went their separate ways, Bucky dragged himself into the common area to see if there were any leftovers he could raid before cleaning up and collapsing into his bed. He was navigating carefully through the unlit gloom when he ran smack bang into Darcy, who was shuffling around the kitchen area in a rumpled shirt that looked suspiciously like the same one she'd been wearing last time he'd caught a glimpse of her. Her glasses were perched on top of her head, and her eyes were mostly closed as she moved around the kitchen by feel alone. She looked almost as tired as he felt, although she was a good deal cleaner, and probably smelt a lot better.

She stared blankly at the star in the middle of his chest for a minute, and then she slowly lifted a hand up and poked him in the chest. “'S a star.” she mumbled. “Why is there a star in front of me. Wait. I know that star.”

It was about then, when she started to lift her head, that he remembered that even though he was still wearing Steve's suit, he'd already taken off the hood, and although she could probably barely see in the gloomy kitchen, if she looked up... he panicked. Instead of turning tail and running away, he dipped his head, and kissed her. Her eyes fluttered all the way shut, and even as he was questioning the wisdom of this particular line of action, she reached up and cupped his face with her hands, and kissed him back.

“Darcy? Did you find the... oh my god, really??” Bucky guiltily pulled away at the sound of Jane's weary voice behind him, and without looking around, this time, he did flee. If he was lucky, there were still some chocolate bars, and maybe some withered fruit in his room.

 

The next morning they had an early meeting about the unusual spike in hostile activity, and the possibilities of who might be behind it. They'd found a few scraps of what they had thought was unrelated information in some memos and random paperwork during recent missions, but not enough to be useful until rereading one memo had knocked loose a couple of new memories in Bucky's head. After a long discussion Natasha was convinced there was about to be a big resurgence of Hydra, and Bucky was of the opinion that if there was even the slightest chance of that, there was nest nearby, he'd be happy to run the slash and burn campaign of the millennium. After much debate it was decided to send out a couple of teams to try and hunt down more information to try and confirm their suspicions. This of course, was followed by the inevitable arguments about who would be going, and who would be staying. Bucky was quite happy to stay at home during this stage of operations, so he just sat back and enjoyed the show. Halfway through the argument, there was a burst of light, and a thunderous noise outside, and Bucky got his first ever look at the Bifrost in action. Thor was back.

 

Introductions were made for the newest team members, and then Natasha called the meeting back to order.

“So how long are you here for?” Natasha asked Thor.

“I can only stay for a week, life is quiet on Asgard for the moment, but unfortunately I will need to return soon.”

“Well that should be long enough for now.” said Bucky, “What we can do, is we can call Steve back from his holiday, he can be home guard with Thor, Vision and myself, just in case something comes up, the rest you of split into teams as we discussed earlier, and go see what you can find.”

“Thor, is that okay with you?” Natasha asked.

“Of course, I would be pleased to spend some time with all my friends.”

“Right, so Wanda, you and Sam will be Team One, Scott and I will be Team Two. Meet back here in an hour for strategic planning. Barnes, you contact Steve, let him know what's going on and tell him to get his ass back here asap.”

“I'm on it.”

“Well if that's everything sorted, I vote we go get some lunch.” Sam said.

Natasha turned to Thor as people began filing out of the conference room. “Jane and Darcy are in the labs, they've been there for about a week as far as I'm aware. They could probably use a meal, a shower and a sleep about now, so I'm relying on you to distract them.”

Thor laughed, “I shall go there now Natasha, and I will carry them to the food if I must.”

 

Bucky watched Thor head towards the labs before taking his own leave. He found his way outside and called Steve.

“You do know I'm trying to relax here don't you Bucky? It's hard when you keep calling me all the time.”  
“Right, two calls is all the time. Look I hate to ruin a good thing, but the vacations over Steve, we need you to come home.”

Steve sighed, “Well I guess I knew it couldn't last forever. What's up?”

Bucky explained the situation, and after several minutes of discussion, he hung up and went to organise for a jet to go and collect his best friend, before going to join the rest of his friends for lunch. He'd just lined up for his meal when Nat appeared at his shoulder. “Thor's requested to get some help with the Disaster Duo, do you mind giving him a hand?”

“Disaster Duo?”

Nat tipped her head to the side and looked at him, then smiled. “You haven't seen them in action yet have yet? You'll see, when you get down there.”

It didn't take long to reach the labs, and there was a clear view through the the thick glass windows of the two women. Bucky joined Thor at the window and watched in mild astonishment at Darcy who had a large rubber mallet in one hand, and what looked like a soldering iron in the other hand, and was leaning over a bench next to Jane, who was attempting to hit something very hard with a wrench. She kept missing. Thor shook his head with amused affection. “I think Natasha's analysis of the ladies current situation was correct. They haven't even noticed me yet, and I've been here at least fifteen minutes now.” He shared a look with Bucky. “I have found that the best way to get their attention in these circumstances, is to offer either pizza or chocolate, although I fear they're beyond that at this stage. Also, we do not currently have either substance, so I think we may need to resort to the simple expedient of dragging them out.”

Bucky shrugged, “Spose we should go and drag then, huh?”

It took less time than he'd anticipated to distract the two women from their equipment, although it took slightly longer to then peel them off of Thor, whom they both greeted with extreme enthusiasm. A short time later they were seated in the cafeteria with plates in front of them.

Bucky took the empty seat next to Darcy, who had her head in her hand and was sleepily picking at her meal. Bucky watched her for a minute. Natasha was right, he thought to himself, they were a disaster like this. He wondered when they'd last had any sleep.

He was distracted from his Darcy watching as Scott sat down beside him. “Hey, I was wondering if you had any plans this afternoon.” he asked. “It would be a good chance to get started on the scans and stuff we need of your arm.”

Bucky shook his head, “Nope, no plans. That sounds like a good idea.” he'd almost forgotten about his arm during the excitement of the last couple of weeks.

“Alright then, well meet me in Starks lab after we've finished our mission planning?”

Bucky glanced sideways at Darcy, who was just pushing the food around her plate now.

“Yeah, we should at least make a start on it before the shit hits the fan around here.” he said to Scott.

“Alright, I'll see you there.” Scott said as he stood up and went to join Sam at another table, and Bucky turned back to Darcy who seemed in dire need of encouragement at the moment.

“Hey, eat up. I heard a nasty rumour that you haven't had a proper meal in nearly a week.” he nudged her gently in the ribs to get her attention, and then pointed at her plate with his fork. “I want to see that plate empty before you leave here, okay?”

She looked at him with bleary eyes, “What, are you my mother now? Ugh, can I just sleep here?” she leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder as she shoved her fork into mouth, and then just let it rest there. Bucky sighed, put his own fork down, carefully removed Darcy's fork from both her mouth and her hand, noticing as he did so that Thor was performing similar actions with Jane further down the table. Thor was speaking quietly to Nat as he did so, and a moment later she got up, and came around the table to where Bucky was still supporting Darcy.

“We're going to take them to their suite now to get some rest.” she said. “With any luck, they'll be out until tomorrow morning.”

“How often do they do this?” Bucky asked as he made space for Natasha to get to Darcy. “It can't be good for them.”

“Oh, it doesn't actually happen all that often.” Nat replied as she got Darcy to her feet. “Usually just when Jane has some kind of break through, or when Thor disappears without telling her where or how long he's going for, or in this situation, having to rebuild her entire equipment inventory from scratch.”

“Hey, we've gotta lotta work to do.” he could hear Jane protesting as Thor lifted her off her feet and carried her out of the room.

“Later,” he heard Thor reply, “for now, you must sleep.”

“Bye Bucky.” he looked back at Darcy, who was leaning on Nat, “have fun with your arm.”

His gaze followed them all the way to the doors of the cafeteria, and then he turned back to finish his lunch, before eventually making his way down to the rarely used lab that Stark kept for his infrequent visits to the facility.

 

 

Even thought Scott was a very talented and experienced mechanical engineer, he hadn't used much of the equipment in Stark's lab before, so it took a while to figure things out, and get them working. Eventually he figured out the gadget that Stark used for holographic scanning, and they made a start on the analysis of the inner workings of Bucky's arm. Sam and Nat came by with Thor at one stage, who expressed a keen interest in the metal appendage. By the time they finished in the lab, it was either very late, or possibly very early, so when Bucky wandered into the common area after being unable to get to sleep, he was surprised to find the television on. At first glance it seemed like the room was empty, and then he realised that there was someone lying stretched out on the lounge. A closer inspection revealed the occupant of the lounge to be Darcy, wrapped up in a blanket, three quarters asleep, and drooling on the cushions. He turned off the television and she stirred, muttering something.

“Darcy? You awake?” He touched her shoulder gently and she stirred again. He debated with himself for a bit, and then decided to try and find out what she was doing here. He knew from comments that Nat had made that she and Jane usually made sure that the other got back to their own beds, so to find either one of them asleep in here was definitely unusual.

“Darcy. Hey, wake up.” he shook her gently, but all she did was groan a little, and then attempt to burrow further into the cushions.

He sighed, and then walked around to the front of the lounge, knelt down in front of her, and tried again.

“Darcy.” he shook her again. “Darcy, why are you trying to sleep on the lounge?”

“What? Lemme alone, trying to get some sleep.”

“I can see that, but why are you sleeping out here Darcy?” he asked patiently, “Shouldn't you be in your bed?”

“Couldn't sleep there, too noisy.” she mumbled, but he could see that she was slowly gaining a fraction more consciousness.

“Noisy?”

She cracked open an eye and peered at him. “Thor's back.”

“Yeah, I met him earlier remember, nice guy. I helped him extract you and Jane from the lab. But that doesn't explain...”

“M giving them some privacy.” she cut him off

“I'm still missing a clue here Darce.” he said patiently.

She opened her other eye and glowered at him. “Ugh, were you always this slow or is it a new thing? Is part of your brain still frozen?”

“Hey, you don't need to get nasty,” he said with mock indignation. She rolled her eyes at him before continuing.

“Thor and Jane. The bed heads are against the wall. The same wall. MY wall. Just, opposite sides.” she gestured with her hands, and suddenly it clicked.

“Oh. I see.”

She closed her eyes again, “Do you really?” she asked. “If he's gonna be staying, I'll be asking for a new room. On the opposite side of the complex. Maybe even in the next state.”

He grinned, and ducked his head. “He's only here for a week, I'm sure that won't be necessary.”

She opened her eyes again as she wriggled into a new position on the lounge. “You have no idea. Now go away so I can go back to sleep.”

“That can't be comfortable,” he said, as he watched her sink back into the cushions. “come on, you can come sleep in my room tonight.”

“Gees Bucky, aren't you sposed to buy a girl dinner first?” she mumbled into the lounge, resisting his attempts at getting her to sit up.

“I'll sleep in Steve's bed. I am a gentleman you know.” he assured her as he untangled the blanket from around her legs and placed it to one side, before pausing for a surprised moment to admire her mismatched pyjamas.

She huffed at him as he lifted her into his arms, “No you're not, you're a caveman. I can walk you know.”

“I'm not a caveman. And you can barely sit up.”

“That would be because I'm actually trying to sleep Bucky.” she muttered as she wrapped her arms around his neck, and snuggled against his chest.

He resisted the urge to press a kiss onto the top of her head as he carried her back to the suite he shared with Steve.

“You're good people Bucky. One of my favourites.” she mumbled as he carefully eased her into his bed, and pulled the covers over her.

“Well I try.” he replied softly, but she was already asleep again. He straightened up and watched the sleeping young woman for a minute, and then he turned and left the room, quietly closing the door behind him.

 

Several hours later he was reading on the lounge when he heard the door behind him open, and Darcy wandered out with a look of confusion on her face. She looked blearily around the room for a moment, as if she was having trouble figuring out where she was, and then looked at him.

“Everything’s the wrong way around.” she said uncertainly. “You carried me home and put me to bed last night? It wasn't just another dream?” she asked.

“Yes I did,” he confirmed, “you looked uncomfortable. Those lounges aren't made for sleeping on, and I couldn't just leave you there.”

“Huh, well yeah, you got that right. Thanks.”

“You want a cup of coffee?”

“Please!” she gave him a look of unadulterated gratitude at the offer.

Bucky silently made coffee for both of them and they sat down together at the small table. “I like your pyjamas by the way.” he commented casually. She paused with her mug halfway to her mouth and glanced down, as if checking to see what she was wearing. “Oh man, they don't even match.” she groaned.

“I didn't know you could get Captain America stuff in pink and pastels.” he grinned. He couldn't wait to see if he could get some for Steve.

“I have ones that glow in the dark too.” she said.

He filed that information away for further contemplation later as he continued to critique her sleepwear, “And the Black Widow top is very...”

“Don't say it.” she said quickly, “it was all I could find at the time. There isn't anywhere near as much Black Widow merchandise out there as there should be, and most of it isn't actually very comfortable.” she said sourly, and looked down at her shirt and pants again. “I kind of made it a mission to find something for every Avenger. Some were easier to find, and better designed than others.”

They sat quietly for a while as they drank their coffee. He could see that she was starting to look a little more awake now, and then he remembered what she'd said when she'd first gotten up.

“So what did you mean before, when you said another dream?” he asked casually, staring into the bottom of his empty mug.

“What, you don't have weird dreams?” she said casually, but he detected an undercurrent of tension as she said it. He quirked an eyebrow at her but before he could pursue the issue her phone demanded attention. He watched as she checked it with what he thought was guilty relief. There was something going on there that he'd have to make sure to follow up on that later.

“I gotta go, Jane's wondering where I am.”

“See you for lunch?” he asked hopefully.

“Yeah sure, we'll be there.” she said with a smile. “Thor always makes sure we have breaks when he's around. Thanks for the bed, and the coffee too, you didn't have to do that.”  
“Any time.” he said firmly as she waltzed out the door. He watched the door for a while after she left, lost in thought until his own phone beeped at him several times. Looking down he saw that Steve had arrived, and Natasha was calling another meeting.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Un-beta'd, re-read waaay too many times (probably) and getting nearer to the end...


	9. Star Light, Star Bright

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Steve is BACK!!! Plus, there is stargazing, strange happenings, and Bucky considers the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is brought to you by Armageddon, Deep Impact, a wide array of documentaries and probably some Bachelorette.

Bucky couldn't believe how rested and relaxed Steve looked when he met up with him on the balcony.

“Wow, we'll have to send you off for vacations more often. I don't think I've ever seen you looking this good.”

Steve grinned at him, “I don't think I've ever felt this good either Buck. Not even straight after I got the serum, and I tell you, once that stopped hurting, I felt pretty damn good. We should send you next I think. We neither of us ever did get a holiday before, did we?”

“No we didn't, but I'll look forward to the chance to have one when this is all over. Right now though, we've got a meeting to get too.”

“Hey Buck..?” he turned around to see Steve hanging back.

“Yeah?”

“I just wanted to say... thanks. I didn't know how much I needed this. I know it was a big thing for you, going back out there, and... well, I just want you to know how grateful I am.”

Bucky turned around and walked back to his friend.

“Hey, it's okay. You and me right?”

“Yeah. You and me.”

“We're a team Steve, that's never gonna change. Now come on, or Nat'll have our balls.”

 

The meeting ended up being a brief one, purely to bring Steve up to speed with current events, as well as introduce him to the new residents. Bucky's curiosity was piqued when he noticed that Steve was behaving unusually normal around the two strange women, right up until he was introduced to Darcy, and then there was a subtle but obvious change to the more familiar behaviour of Steve not being able to cope with a pretty woman talking to him. Bucky wasn't sure if anyone else had noticed, until he noticed that Natasha was smirking in the background. Something was going on, but before he had a chance for more observations, it was time for the two exploratory teams made their departures from the compound, and then Jane and Darcy returned to the lab, and Steve, Bucky, Thor and Vision headed for the training area.

Bucky hadn't realised how much he'd missed Steve during practice, and he relished the chance to let loose after weeks of constantly having to hold back and pull his punches with the un-enhanced members of the team. (He didn't count Wanda and Vision, as their talents precluded him ever even touching them, so practice with them usually consisted of other things.) It was only Steve, and to his satisfaction, now Thor, who could match him unaided.

They'd been facing off against each other in varying formations for well over three hours, under Visions' guidance, when an upper door opened and they gained an audience, who immediately took great delight in cheering, cat calling and heckling all three of them from the observation balcony. Thor immediately heckled back as Jane and Darcy demonstrated their enthusiasm and proficiency in the art of friendly harassment, with Darcy doubting the status of Thor's godly powers because he wasn't the only person still standing, and Jane following it up with by commenting that she wasn't sure if he was still worthy of her after such a poor performance. Thor responded cheerfully saying he'd be happy to prove his worth, and all Jane had to do was say the word. Bucky and Steve took the opportunity to catch a breath and have a drink as the two women continued to mock Thor.

“Hey Bucky, Steve, you guys wanna come watch a meteor shower with us tonight?”

They both looked up at Darcy, who had left Thor and Jane to trade increasingly suggestive insults and was hanging over the railing of the catwalk.

“A meteor shower?”

“Yeah, we're gonna go camp out on the roof. Plus we got permission to black out the whole complex for a few hours to minimise the light pollution. A certain someone may have suggested to the powers that be that it would be an excellent opportunity for some night training.” she grinned at them.

“How on earth did you manage that?” Steve asked suspiciously.

“I have my ways.” she replied coyly. “So are you in?”  
“I don't know if I want to know how you pulled that off Darcy, but it sounds like a fun night. We're in.” Bucky replied.

“Awesome! Bring blankets, and snacks if you want 'em, meet us on the upper balcony around nine ok? We're going for lunch now, and then Jane's gonna see if she can rip a hole in the fabric of space.” Darcy said as she turned away, and then she turned back, “Oh, and dress warm it'll be cold up there tonight!”

“I think lunch sounds like a good idea.” Steve said as he wiped his face with a towel. “We can come back for more of this later.”  
“Only if we can't find anything better to do.” Bucky said quietly to himself, still watching Darcy as she left with Jane, and if he’d be allowed to watch their experiment.

“What's that Bucky?” Steve asked as he bent down to pick up his towel.

“What? Ah, I was wondering how safe their experiment is. I mean, how safe does ripping holes in reality sound to you?”

Steve straightened up and after a quick glance to where the women had just disappeared, gave him a calculating look. “I don’t think it’s the experiment that you’re interested in.”

“What would you know Steve ‘I can’t talk to a pretty girl without forgetting my own name’ Rogers.” Bucky grabbed his own towel and headed for the change rooms, Steve trailing behind him. “Come on, lets hit the showers.”

“So... that's the girl you've been disrespecting my suit with huh?” Bucky could feel the smirk getting bigger behind him.

“Shut up Steve.”

 

Bucky pulled on his favourite jumper and went out to the lounge area to see if Steve was ready to go meet Jane, Thor and Darcy. There was no sign of him, so he went and knocked on his door. “Hey Steve, you ready yet?”

The door opened, and he was surprised to see that Steve was only wearing a pair of sleep pants.

“You can't go up to the roof like that Steve.” he said patiently. “Why aren't you dressed?”

Steve had the good grace to look a little sheepish as he scratched his head. “Yeah, I'm not going.”  
“Why not?”

“It's been a long day, and honestly Buck, I'd rather just hang out here on my own for a whle. Maybe catch up on some reading or something. Plus, it's gonna be cold up there.”  
“Reading.” Bucky said flatly. “After you've just had what, three weeks of vacation? I don't believe you.”  
“C'mon Buck...”

Bucky shook his head but decided not to push the issue for now. “I don't know what this is about, but I will find out. You're the one missing out here Steve!”

“Have fun Bucky, I'll be here when you get back.” Steve called out as Bucky shut the door behind him.

 

Steve was right about the cold, but for once, Bucky didn't care. He had dressed warmly just like he'd been told, and he'd brought a couple of blankets with him. The girls had set up a cosy little space in one corner of the roof, and the skies were clear and sparkling. The moon was wafer thing on the horizon, and the Milky Way spread across the sky like a river.

“God but it's beautiful up here.” he said as he joined Thor and the ladies in the viewing corner, where they'd erected some double width reclining deck chairs.

“Hey Bucky, glad you made it. Come sit!” Darcy patted the empty space on the chair she was sitting on, “Where's Steve?”

“He changed his mind, decided he didn't wanna come.” Bucky said, “Reckons it'll be too cold.”

Darcy laughed. “Oh my god, really?”

“Yeah, apparently it's been a long day,” he said dryly as he placed the blankets he'd brought with him at the foot of the chair where Darcy was sitting cross legged, cradling a mug in her hands, before sitting down next to her.

“Oh well, he’s right about that, it has been a long day, but still, his loss.” she shrugged. “Want some hot chocolate? There's a thermos around here somewhere.”

“Nah, I'm good for now. How did you two go with the whole ripping holes in the fabric of space go?”

“Ugh,” Darcy grunted, “it didn’t. As soon as we turned it on Eddie exploded so we have to fix him first.”

Bucky wrinkled his forehead, “Who’s Eddie?”

“Oh, one of Jane’s machines. I named it Eddie for the whole space time continuum thing.” He looked at her blankly. “And it annoys Jane. There’s this other machine of hers that I’ve never been able to get the hang of using, so I called it Thursday.”

“So what I got from that, is that you give names to Jane’s machines, and she doesn’t like it.” he said.

“Oh, she doesn’t mind me naming things, it’s what I name them that she sometimes takes issue with.”

“I think I might need some kind of an explanation for that Darcy.”

She smiled at him, and he had to concentrate really hard to follow her as she gently elbowed him in the ribs, “I’d be happy to explain, but be warned, it’ll take a while, cos the explanation involves a 12 part radio show, a television serial, several books and a movie. Oh, and a couple of computer games if you want to get really involved.”

He just stared at her some more. “That sounds like a lot of effort to go to just to explain why you named a machine Eddie.”

“Maybe, but totally worth it.”

“So when does the show start?” he asked as he stared up at the sky.

“There's been a few already, but the compound lights are due to go out soon, and then we'll really see some spectacular stuff.”

“So you do this often?” he asked.

“Not as often as we used to, but that's more because of where we've been than opportunity, or things to see. If there wasn't a meteor shower this week, we would've brought the telescopes up one night anyway.” Just then the lights went out, and the whole area was plunged into darkness. Almost immediately there was flash across the sky, which now sparkled and glowed with the light of more stars than he could remember seeing in a very long time.

“Ohhh, I always forget how beautiful it is.” Darcy breathed beside him, with her head thrown right back, and he silently agreed with her.

“It's something else alright.” he said.

“You know, it's easier to watch if you're lying down, not to mention easier on your neck.” she said, and with a bit of rearranging they were soon laying comfortably next to each other, staring upwards. There was another streaking light, and then another, “You ever make a wish on a shooting star Bucky?” Darcy murmured from next to him.

“Not in a very long time.” he replied.

“You should make one now then.” she said. “These ones are extra special after all.”

He gazed up into the sky, and thought hard about what he would wish for.

They lapsed into silence, although he could hear Jane and Thor murmuring to each other in the other side of the corner.

“So do you know much about the stars Bucky?” Darcy asked quietly after a while.

“Not really. Never had time or opportunity for stargazing except for some nights during the war.”

“Okay then well let me pass on some of my hard won knowledge.” she smiled over at him, and wriggled closer, until she was pressed right up against his side.

She lifted an arm, and pointed into the sky. “We'll start with the big ones.” she said. “That's the Big Dipper there,” she traced outline of the stars, “it's a part of Ursa Major, the Great Bear. Greek myth says that the nymph Callisto was turned into a bear for breaking a vow of chastity, and then later on, she was flung into the heavens to become stars by a jealous goddess, or her lover. Something like that anyway, there's different versions.”

“That's pretty harsh.” Bucky said.

Darcy snorted, “Have you ever read Greek mythology? They're all selfish, conceited assholes who sleep with their own parents and children. Now, this one here...”

 

He looked and listened as she continued to point out constellations, stars and even some smudgy areas she claimed were other galaxies, occasionally checking with Jane when she couldn't remember a detail or needed to double check a name. He was quietly amazed at her knowledge of the night skies, and the fascinating stories told, which were regularly punctuated by the flash of dying meteorites burning up in the atmosphere. When he noticed her starting to shiver he quietly spread the blankets out, and pulled her closer to him so that she'd also benefit from his body heat. They lay there, enjoying the view until the random flashes of light slowed, and Darcy announced that it was probably a good time for food. She offered the hot chocolate around again, together with some pastries that she'd begged from the cafeteria staff.

“What's the time anyway? I feel like we've been up here forever.” she mumbled as she bit into her pastry.

“It's almost 1am.” Bucky replied.

“What? Really?” Darcy sounded surprised.

“Is something wrong?”

“Yeah, the compound lights should be back on by now. They were only supposed to be off until midnight.” Darcy replied as she fished around for her phone.

Bucky and Thor exchanged a glance, and Bucky got up.

“You all stay here, I'll go down to the control room and see what's going on.”

As he quietly made his way over to the stairs he pulled his phone out and sent quick messages to Steve and Vision, alerting them to the anomaly, and then he heard a strange sound behind him, which he realised when he turned around, was Thor summoning his hammer.

When he got inside it was to find that only the emergency lighting was on, and whilst he could still see perfectly clearly, most other people in the facility weren't as lucky as him. His phone vibrated in his pocket, and he pulled it out to see that Steve and Vision had both acknowledged his alert, and were on route to meet him in the control room. And then the lights came back on.

 

By the time Bucky reached the control room Steve and Vision had already arrived.

“The technician who should have been on duty isn't here,” Steve informed him as he joined them, “other than that there's no sign of any security breaches – no intruders, no network incursions, nothing – just a missing tech.”

“Additionally, it seems that the only interior lights to go out were the ones on the upper level entrance to the roof.” Vision added.

“Who else knew there people up there tonight?” Bucky asked as he texted Thor, to keep him and the women updated.

“Heads of security and training, we're getting in touch with them now to see who else they needed to tell.” Steve said as he inspected each of the security screens. “Anyone know how the training exercises went?”  
“Very successful.” Vision replied. “I believe that all objectives were met to satisfactory requirements.”

“I have done a check of the perimeter,” Thor informed them as he, Jane and Darcy crowded into the room, “and was unable to see any signs of disturbance.”

“So what's happening Steve-O?” Darcy asked as she sidled up to Steve, bumping him gently on the shoulder with her fist whilst idly running her eyes over the screens and control board. She caught Bucky's eye and winked, and he watched curiously as Steve took an awkwardly casual but deliberate step away from the young woman, not quite turning his back on her. To anyone else, it would have just looked like he moved to look at something, but Bucky knew Steve better than most, and he continued to watch him as he directed his reply to Thor. 

“It looks like we've got a missing technician at this stage, but someone from security will be here shortly and then they'll go through the logs to see if they can figure out what happened.” Whilst he was speaking, Darcy had idly inched her way closer again, and this time Steve took a couple of large deliberate steps away from her under the guise of looking at another screen. Bucky wasn't sure what was going on, but even with Steve's normal level of 'awkward around women' he didn't usually behave like this. Darcy didn't seem to be bothered, but he was starting to know her well enough to see that she was rather amused by whatever game she was playing, and he was also surprised to realise that the tiny spark of jealousy he was feeling at the attention Darcy was giving Steve, was being over-ridden by the desire to watch Steve squirm some more.

“Well, if we're not needed I think we might go to bed. We've got a lot to do tomorrow.” Jane was looking at Thor as she spoke, and then directed a look at Darcy, which included raised eyebrows and a strange head bob, which the other woman returned before turning around to come face to face with Steve, who was standing directly between Darcy and Bucky. She seemed slightly startled for a moment, as if she'd forgotten he was there, and then smiled sweetly. “Well, I guess we'll leave you to it.” she said, crossing the room, and Bucky was highly amused as Steve once again moved away from her, as if they were a pair of repelling magnets, but Darcy ignored him completely as she continued past him to where Bucky was. “Thanks for joining us tonight,” she told him, “it was really nice. Now are you busy or would you like to escort us home whilst they wait around?”

He looked down at her happy face and couldn't help smiling back. “Sure,” he said as she tucked her arm into his, “I'd be happy to.”

“So can I ask you a question?” he asked her quietly as they trailed behind Jane on their way through the complex.

“Sure, what's up Buck?” she said, leaning her head on his arm.

“What was all that about?”

“What was what?” she replied innocently.

“That little two step thing with Steve back there.”  
“I have no idea what you're talking about Bucky.” she said as they arrived at her door, and she turned to face him, a butter wouldn't melt expression on her face.

“C'mon Darcy, there's something going on, what are you up to?” he asked, leaning against the door frame.

“I think you're imaging things, are you sure everything's alright in that electrified brain of yours?” she tipped her head to one side, as though studying him.

“Hey, that's a low blow Darcy.”

She laughed as she pushed the door open and before she went into the room, she turned around and gave him a firm kiss on the cheek, “Yeah, but you still love me!” she said with a grin as she shut the door in his face. For a moment he just stood and stared at the door, trying to make sense of what had just happened. He failed. Again. With a shake of his head, and one last look back at the door, he went back to the control room.

 

By the time he got back a small team of technicians was fully engrossed in trying to hunt down any anomalies in the logs, and everyone else was ready to go back to their usual activities. As soon as a message was sent to the teams in the field alerting them to the incident, everyone else headed home. Steve and Bucky walked back to their rooms quietly, each lost in their own thoughts. With quiet good nights they each went to their own rooms, and Bucky lay himself down on his bed, which still smelt faintly of Darcy, and thought about wishes, and considered his future.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So when I started this chapter I thought it was going to be the second last one. I shouldn't think! I'm hoping to get this whole thing finished before next weekend, as I'll be doing 4 weeks of work placement for my course during October, and will probably be very busy outside of that as well. We will see. 
> 
> Also I am now the proud owner of a shiny Bronze Medallion certificate (basic water rescue for non-Aussies) and a First Aid certificate. This time tomorrow I will hold a Lifeguard certificate as well, plus I already have the shiny whistle. Go me!


	10. Epiphanies And Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Bucky makes a decision, comes to some realisations, and attempts a confession. Oh, and Natasha is waaaay ahead of everyone else… as usual.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [The Original Prompt from Usedkarma](http://usedkarma.tumblr.com/post/147044691875/know-what-i-want-more-from-wintershock-fics-darcy)
> 
> Goodness, what was supposed to be a two paragraph conversation between Steve and Bucky turned into nearly two pages… these boys have a lot to say!  
> This chapter is brought to you by our broken air conditioner, and hot, humid weather. Ugh.

 

 

Sometime after he lay down Bucky had fallen asleep, and when he woke up it was with new purpose. It was like something had clicked in his mind, and as he sat up he realised that it was time to make a decision. As he showered and dressed he thought hard about the recent changes in his life, and the more he thought about it, the more he realised that he already knew what he wanted to do. By the time he left his room Steve had gotten up and made them both coffee, and was sitting in the living area reading a book. Bucky grabbed his mug, and went and sat down next to Steve. For a few minutes he just sat and savoured the peace and quiet, and the comfort of being with his best friend, of having a home, and of being (mostly) safe and secure in his new life. He put his mug down, and turned to face Steve.

“I want to come out with you.” Bucky said.

“What?” Steve looked up from the book.

“The job… Avenging. I think… No, I **know** I’m ready for it Steve.”

Steve looked at him in barely hidden surprise and he could tell that the other man hadn’t been expecting this.

“That’s a big step Bucky, you sure about this?”

Bucky nodded his head slowly, “If what’s been going on recently turns out to be Hydra… I want to help take them down for good. Hell, even if it isn’t, I want to be part of it. Steve, I’m ready to do this.”

Steve put the book down, and turned to face Bucky properly, looking at him carefully, and seeing something that had been missing for a long time.

“You absolutely sure?” he asked.

“One hundred percent, it’s the right time now. I've been thinking about this a lot, although I didn't realise it until just last night. I’ve come too far. There's just too much in this new life of mine that I don't wanna lose, and I’m gaining more every day.”

“Yeah, I understand.” Steve looked away for a moment, and when he looked back there was a small smile on his face. “It’s a good thing Buck.”

Bucky nodded. “Yeah, it is, and it's been coming for a while now, even if I was oblivious. And then yesterday... I can't even actually pinpoint the moment I realised. I just, I woke up this morning, and it was all there. And now I'm thinking, I can’t go on the way I’ve been going forever. I need to do something. Plus, a very smart woman recently told me that I shouldn’t worry about other people’s opinions, and there’s no point in wasting second chances.”

“That’s good advice, She sounds like a smart woman. If this is what you really want, then we'll be happy to have you on the team.”

“Yeah Steve, it's what I want.” It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders for some reason, and nothing could have stopped the identical grins that spread across both their faces.

“Well I spose you'll need a suit of your own then huh?”

“As long as it's not pink and purple.” Bucky said quickly.

“But Buck, I thought that was what you wanted!”

Bucky smiled again, “Maybe for hospital visits and charity work, but I think I’ll stick with basic black on the job.”

They lapsed into companionable silence as they finished their coffee, then Bucky gathered both cups for cleaning.

“You know, you’ve changed whilst I was away.” Steve noted as he got up and followed him to the kitchen.

Bucky blinked as he put the mugs in the sink, “I have? How?”

Steve paused for a moment to gather his thoughts, then continued on.

“You’re happier. I noticed it as soon as I stepped off the jet. You’re smiling more, laughing more, talking more. You’re seeking people out now, you don’t just wait around for people to come to you, or worse, avoid you, and you’re not avoiding them any more. Your self confidence is coming back.”

Bucky leaned back against the bench as he considered what Steve had just said.

“I…” he started, and then paused as he thought of something else. “Speaking of self confidence, can I ask you a question?”

“Course you can Buck, why couldn’t you?”

“Is there something between you and Darcy?” he blurted out.

“What? No, I never met her before yesterday. I mean, I’ve heard of her, and Nat talks about her a lot, but I don’t even know her. Why?” Steve looked confused.

Bucky rubbed his face in embarrassment, “The way you two were behavin’ yesterday. It was just… it was weird. Even for you.”

“Oh, okay, yeah,” Steve nodded slightly, “I can see how that would look. That’s a funny story actually… but, you know what, you should probably ask her about it. It’s her story to tell, not mine.” Steve shrugged in dismissal, but now Bucky was only more confused.

“But you just said you don’t know her, so how…”

“We haven’t met but we’ve crossed paths before, and like I said. Her story.” Steve paused for a moment as he gave Bucky a knowing look, “Just like you wearing my suit is your story.”

“Oh.”

“You don’t need to worry Buck, I’m not gonna step on your toes.”

“I don’t actually know if I’ve even got toes for you to step on here Steve.”

“Well if she hasn’t run screaming yet then I reckon you’ve got something.” Steve smirked.

“And now you’re being a jerk again.”

“No, just helping a friend find the courage to go talk to the girl he likes.”

“I talk to her plenty.” Bucky responded indignantly.

“About important stuff? Like wearing my suit and how much you like her?”

“Ahh, I need to go talk to her don’t I?” Bucky sighed.

“Yeah, you do.” Steve nodded his head in agreement. “because she’s a big part of this isn’t she?”

Bucky didn’t say anything, he was too busy thinking. Steve watched him for a few minutes and then patted him on the shoulder. “Come on, lets go get some breakfast, then we can organise a new suit for you before you go find your girl for an old fashioned heart to heart.”

 

Somehow Bucky was not as surprised as he should have been when they discovered that Natasha had already organised a custom designed suit for him. He’d been expecting to requisition something standard for now, so they’d both done a double take when the supply officer brought it out for them, as well as paperwork to show that there was a sleeveless version, as well as several spares on order.

He and Steve stared at it in admiration. “How the hell did she know before I even knew?” Bucky said without thinking, which caused Steve to look at him in exasperation. “This is Natasha we’re talking about Buck. I think I’d be more worried if she hadn’t known.”

They looked at it again. “We’ve got plenty of time before lunch if you wanna try it on?” Steve suggested.

“I probably should, make sure it fits alright huh?”

Steve rubbed his hand over his chin. “Oh I reckon it’ll fit just fine Buck. Nat’s probably had all your measurements for months. Come on, try the suit on, then you catch up with your girl at lunch.”

 

 

 

Jane and Darcy had spent several hours fixing their broken bits of machinery, and were getting ready to have another run at their experiment when Thor showed up, with Bucky in tow. The two men watched them bustle around from the door for several minutes before Jane finally noticed them.

“Thor! Aren’t you supposed to be training or something at the moment?”

Thor shook his head in amusement, “That was before lunch.” he said, “We’ve been done for more than an hour.”

“What?” Both women turned to look at the clock, and then each other.

“We missed you at lunch.” Bucky said reproachfully. “Again.”

“Oops.” said Darcy.

“Aren’t you supposed to be the responsible one here?” Jane asked, “Don’t I pay you to make sure we don’t miss the lunch breaks?”

Darcy shrugged, “What can I say, you’re a bad influence on me.” She turned to Thor, “Mind getting us some sandwiches pretty please? We can’t leave right now.” As Thor nodded and left she glanced over at Bucky, “So while you’re here, you wanna to see a wormhole being created?”

“Is it safe?” he asked doubtfully.

“Mm, probably. We’ve kind of done it before, but it only lasted for a couple of seconds before Eddie exploded.”

“Eddie explodes a lot huh?” Bucky asked sceptically.

“Every time we’ve used him so far.” Darcy replied as she fiddled with some wiring on the side of the instrument in front of her.

“Twice! Only twice!” Jane said, in a vain attempt at maintaining some credibility.

He shrugged, “I’ll take a chance.”

“Stand over here then,” Darcy instructed him, pointing behind her. “I don’t guarantee it will be safer, but it’s got the best view.”

Bucky moved over to where she’d indicated, and as he watched her leaning over to put the finishing touches on the machinery he decided that it definitely had a very good view, even if it wasn’t the one she thought it was.

“Okay Jane, I think that should do it, you ready?”

They flicked the switch, and nothing happened. Well, the machinery hummed, and made a couple of beeping noises, but there was no wormhole, not a tiny pinprick or even a shimmer. They watched for a full five minutes before giving up and turning it off.

“That was it?” Bucky asked, feeling a bit disappointed that he’d missed out on seeing his first wormhole close up.

Darcy and Jane just shrugged as they started disconnecting bits of wiring. “Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Now we just need to analyse the data that it generated, make whatever adjustments are needed, and try again later.” Jane said.

“We spend more time analysing data than anything else.” Darcy added. “Actually pretty boring really.”

He watched for a while as they started the data analysis, wondering how to broach the subject of wanting to talk to Darcy. It would be so much easier, he thought, if Jane would just leave for a minute or two. Darcy wandered over to stand next to him as Jane peered at the data on her screen.

“Sorry it wasn’t more interesting.” She said quietly. “I feel like I’ve kinda let you down a bit now.”

“Nah, you haven't let me down. I mean, I suppose nothing is better than another explosion.” he said, as he wondered how to best take advantage of the opening she’d given him. He got as far as clearing his throat and saying “So, um, Darcy. I was wondering...” when Thor came back, a worried look on his face. “Something is happening.” he said as he put the tray down and then turned on the television that was in the corner of the lab. He turned to the news and they all watched in disbelief as the footage of not one, not two, not even three, but five unidentified large creatures came through the giant hole that had ripped open in the sky above Winnipeg, and were now lumbering their way through the city.

“Holy cow, what the hell are they?” he heard Darcy say beside him, as he watched in fascination.

“I do not know, I have never seen their like before.” Thor rumbled from across the room. Bucky caught Thor’s eye, and he was already headed for the door as he heard Darcy say “Oh shit, that wasn’t us was it Jane?” as she watched the news footage in disbelief. He turned back in surprise as Jane replied.

“No, of course not. Could it? No, it wouldn’t… oh gods I hope not!”

The two women exchanged a long look, then they both looked at Bucky, who was still hovering in the doorway. “I have to go.” he said, as he motioned towards where Thor was disappearing down the corridor, “they’ll probably need me as well for this one.” He was half way down the hall himself when he realised Darcy was behind him.

“You’re going out in the field?” Darcy asked with a worried look on her face. He nodded. “Yeah. Time to put myself back out there I reckon.”

“Be safe then Bucky.” she said as he hurried away. He didn’t notice that she stood and watched him as he followed Thor down the hallway.

When she returned to the lab, Darcy walked straight over and unplugged the machine at the wall. “Can’t be too careful,” she said firmly to Jane, “And we don’t plug it back in until we’ve been through every scrap of data, at least twice.”

 

 

Bucky and Thor had hurried to the locker rooms where Steve and Vision were already changing. It was a strange experience to be putting on a uniform that was his own after the weeks of being Captain America, and even stranger to be putting it on with the complete intention of going out to fight again. In the beginning he'd been happy to fill in for Steve, but he'd never really intended to keep going once he got back. He'd been determined to put that part of his life behind him, and leave it there. So much had changed for him in such a short time though, and now, here he was, making the decision for himself, to go out there and do it again. And not only for his own sake, not just to protect himself, but for all his friends, and all those defenceless people that he didn't know as well. It was a strange feeling, one that he hadn't had for a very long time, and it felt good.

 

“You ready for this?” Steve asked as they headed for the launch pad.

“About as ready as I’ll ever be.” he replied, both men looking around as a voice called his name behind him. It was Darcy. She was running towards him, with something in her hand that she was waving at him, and he turned fully towards her, suddenly very aware that Steve was right behind him in full Captain America get up.

She came to a stop in front of them, half bent over trying to catch her breath, a small box held out in front of her. “Scott called,” she gasped out, “they saw the news and they’re on their way as well, but in case they don’t get there in time he asked me to give you these.”

“What is it?” Steve asked from behind as Bucky took the box and opened it. “It’s his size disc thingies. Red to shrink, blue to grow. He said they might be handy to use on those things.”

She straightened up, looking between them with an odd expression on her face, nervously shifting from one foot to another as they checked the box.

“Thanks, these might just come in very handy.” Bucky smiled at her, and she smiled nervously back at him.

“Um, well, I guess you guys gotta go huh?” she said as she stepped backwards, and turned away. She hesitated for a moment, turned back, looked at both of them again, bit her lip, held a hand up and looked as if she was about to say something, and then turned and fled.

“Okay, that was… odd.” Bucky said as he watched her disappear around a corner.

“Do you think maybe we confused her?” Steve wondered.

“How would we have done that?”

“Well, it is the first time she’s seen us both together.” Steve pointed out.

“I can’t see how that would make her act so strange Steve.” Bucky said as they boarded the jet.

Steve stared at him with a look of incredulity on his face. “And people say I’m the oblivious one.” he said, shaking his head and smirking.

“Have you got a point or are you just being a jerk again?” Bucky asked pointedly.

Steve shook his head slowly as Thor and Vision watched on curiously.

“Buck, you don’t go out in the field, right? You’re always backing us up from the control room, and everyone knows that. She knows that. Right?” Bucky nodded as Steve continued. “Now, the last few times she’s seen Captain America, where have you been?”

“What do you mean, where have I been? You know exactly where I’ve been.” Bucky said irritably, wondering exactly where Steve was going with this.

“And where’s that?” Steve pressed.

“In the suit.” Bucky said promptly.

They all looked at him with varying degrees of amusement, and then he realised what had just happened, and swore softly under his breath.

“You didn’t talk to her yet did you?”

He shook his head. What the hell must she be thinking now he wondered.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Un-beta'd as always. Let me know if you spot any mistakes/inconsistencies etc. And I really mean it when I say I think this will be the second last chapter this time... just like I did last time... you believe me, don't you??


	11. Shrink and Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Winnipeg takes a beating, discoveries are made, and we really have to wonder about the media.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [The Original Prompt from Usedkarma](http://usedkarma.tumblr.com/post/147044691875/know-what-i-want-more-from-wintershock-fics-darcy)
> 
> This chapter is brought to you by my work prac, Westworld, The Bachelorette, Australia's Next Top Model, working most of the weekend, a sprinkling of Supergirl, and another episode of Westworld. Any one else watching it? 2 episodes in and I'm fascinated already.

 

 

 

When Darcy returned to the lab, Jane was completely engrossed in her data analysis and didn't even notice her return. The television was still streaming the live footage from Winnipeg, so she sat downn in front of it, remote in hand, and after watching the inane commentary for a few minutes, started flicking through the channels to see what different coverage she could find. The news anchor on one channel had dubbed the monstrous beast Vortexlings, which was such a ridiculous name that she decided it must have been the result of some intern using a random name generator on the internet to come up with something quickly. Another was simply calling them monsters of unknown origin, (unoriginal but true), and yet another was comparing them to the latest Godzilla movie, even though none of the creatures looked anything like Godzilla or the other things, (whose name she couldn't recall right at this moment, thank-you-very-much.) Personally, she thought they looked like a cross between an octopus, an elephant, an armadillo and a hedgehog/porcupine/echidna (choose your favourite spiny critter!) She watched, mesmerised by the destruction they were causing, unable to look away, much like watching disaster documentaries.

Surprisingly, the local authorities weren't actually trying to fight the beasts, but instead they were – rather sensibly she thought, but then again, it **was** Canada – concentrating on evacuation instead, as well as building roadblocks and barriers to redirect the slow moving creatures away from built up areas. Even in a quinjet, she knew that it would take the team an hour or so to get there, so she turned the sound down, and pulled her laptop towards her, starting her own analysis of the data. It was hard to concentrate, and she kept looking up at the scenes on the tv, noting that the ticker across the bottom was announcing the mayors' acceptance of the Avengers offer to provide assistance, and was now counting down to their expected arrival. 

One hour.

Forty five minutes.

Thirty minutes.

Twenty minutes.

Ten minutes.

At five minutes out, Darcy gave up trying to concentrate on her computer screen, and turned the sound back up so she could watch the live broadcast as the last few minutes ticked away, and then the Avengers were on the scene.

The cameras all immediately locked on to the golden pair of Captain America and Thor as they used hammer and shield to help redirect three of the slow moving monsters along a main highway out into less populated areas. The shows' hosts immediately began waxing lyrical about Caps complete and utter perfection in every way and then without any warning at all, the first monster suddenly shrunk down to the size of a large cow, rendering the reporters speechless for the merest fraction of a second before they began wildly speculating about what was happening, and when a camera suddenly zoomed in on the figure of the Winter Soldier stalking down the road with a ridiculously lethal looking firearm, they exploded into a frenzy of theory and conjecture.

“Is that Bucky?” Darcy jumped as Jane spoke behind her. “I didn't know he was going too.”

Darcy rolled her eyes, “Jane, you were right here when he left with Thor.”

“Sorry, I've been a bit distracted. What's happening?”

“Well at the moment the news can't decide if he's there to help, or out to betray Cap at a critical moment.” Darcy said as Bucky sheathed the weapon, and then performed a series of impossible acrobatic manoeuvres that that landed him in a prime position to shrink the second of the monsters, even as local services were already attempting to drive the first one into a large cage.

“Wow,” Jane exclaimed, “he's got some moves hasn't he?”

“Oh yeah.” Darcy agreed, watching as Vision swooped by, grabbing hold of the Winter Soldier as went past, and headed for where Captain America was corralling the third beast behind a barrier of concrete pillars. They continued watching as the Soldier was dropped from what would have been an impossible height for almost anyone else, landing nonchalantly on an abandoned car before jogging down the road to where the Captain was. They seemed to confer for a moment, and then as Thor joined them, Bucky backed up, and with a short running start, did a perfect recreation of Black Widow's trick of using the shield as a springboard to leap onto the ledge of a building overlooking the third Vortexling, and seconds later it too was shrunk to a more manageable size. As the heroes regrouped, the telecast cut to where the remaining Avengers had now arrived, and were herding the two remaining menaces towards a nearby golf course.

“How are they going to contain those things now that they've shrunk them?” Jane wondered out loud.

“What do you mean?” Darcy asked without taking her eyes off the scene in front of her.

“Well, when Scott shrinks, he retains his normal strength, but in tiny, ant size, right? Which means he packs a huge punch. So won't these things be the same?”  
Darcy tore her eyes away from the television and looked at Jane. “I'm sure they've thought of that Jane... wouldn't they?” but her face was doubtful, and when she looked back at the television it was obvious that the smaller versions were still creating havoc.

“So did you find anything in the data yet?” Darcy asked, tearing her gaze away from the television.

“Mmm, I'm 97% certain that it wasn't us...”

“Well that's good.” Darcy said.

“...but I'm also 97% certain that it **was** artificially generated from somewhere within a five hundred mile radius of where the wormhole emerged.” Jane continued as if Darcy hadn't spoken.

“What?! Wait, you mean someone else did this?”

“Well, I'm not absolutely certain but...”  
“Oh shit.”

“... there's also a pretty good chance it could have come from anywhere else on the planet.”  
Darcy narrowed her eyes at her boss. “Your 97% is made up, isn't it Jane?”

“Yes.” Jane sighed. “Yes it is. Now, I know we don't get to see them in action like this very often, and believe me, if we didn't have our own problems to solve I'd be sitting right there next to you, probably with popcorn, but can you tear yourself away from watching your boyfriend on the tele, or do I have to turn it off?”

Darcy glanced at the television again, where the supposed journalist was narrating the efforts of Cap and the Soldier herding a beast into an energy shield that Scarlet Witch was maintaining for them.

“I think the sooner we solve this, the better. Wanda isn't going to be able to hold that cage indefinitely.” she said as she muted the sound.

“My thoughts exactly Darcy, come on, lets get on with it.”  
“And he's not my boyfriend Jane.”

 

 

 

Bucky took a deep breath as he surveyed the energy cage that Wanda was creating to contain the beasts that they'd shrunk. Whilst she didn't seem to be having any problems, he was fairly certain that she wouldn't be able to maintain it indefinitely.

“We need to find something more permanent to contain these things Cap.” he said into his comm.

“Yeah but what? They may be smaller now, but they're still packing a huge wallop.” Steve replied.

“Would you say that they're stronger than the Hulk?” Natasha asked.

“Hmmm, possibly, but probably not.” Steve said. “Why?”

“Tony made more than one Hulk-out cage.” she said.

There was a short pause as everyone considered the option.

“Would he let us borrow them for a while?” Sam asked. “And does he have enough?”

“Only one way to find out.” Nat said, “I'll give him a call.”

While they waited, Bucky wandered closer to Wanda. “Hey Wanda, how are you going?” he asked his team mate.

“I am doing well.” she replied easily. “It is not that hard.”

“Well, you let us know if it gets too much, and we'll see what we can do.”

“Thank you Bucky, you are very thoughtful.”

“Okay, I got hold of Stark, he says he can have three hulk out cages here in about two hours.” Nat reported a few minutes later.

“Well, that's a good start, but what about the other two?” Steve asked.

“I think there's some old empty missile silos just south of the border. We can use the cages to transport them there, then we can use the empty cages to do the same with the remaining two.”  
“That sounds good, will there be any issues regarding those empty silos?”

“If there are, they'll have to deal with some angry monsters first.” Natasha said smugly.

“Okay then, so all we have to do, is keep these things where they are until then.” Scott concluded. “I guess no one ever said this would be an easy job.”  
“Yeah, you got that right.” Bucky agreed. “So, keep them close together, or separate?”

“Keep them where they already are.” Steve ordered. “Reinforce the barriers for on all of them so that we don't risk losing any once the cages arrive, and Wanda can take a break if she needs it. We'll just have to be vigilant until they get here.”

“Cap, I've got more bad news here.” Nat informed him as they moved to implement Steve's plan. “We've got a storm heading this way, and it's big, and strong. We've got about four hours before the leading edge hits us, and then maybe another one or two before it starts to get really bad.”  
“Well, lets hope that Stark gets here quickly then.” Steve said flatly.

 

 

 

After an hour or more of combing through the data Darcy's eyes were watering, but she was fairly certain that the segment she was currently looking at wasn't a normal variation of the pattern, but something entirely different.

“Janey, I think I've got something here.” she tried not to let too much excitement bleed into her voice, but it was difficult.

“What have you got?” Jane came around to look at her screen.

“See here? About 30 seconds after we turned the equipment on there's a spike in the readings, and then the levels all jump around a bit, before it settles down again at about one third higher than what the output was before the spike.”

“Shit, that doesn't make sense. Unless...” Jane turned a worried gaze on Darcy. “Unless there was someone else … doing the same thing at the same time? No, that doesn't make sense... oh, no, wait, what if someone else was piggy backing off of our signal?”  
“Is that even possible?” Darcy asked doubtfully.

Jane chewed on her lip for a moment, “If they managed to compromise our systems somehow... then yes.”

“Shit.” Darcy said. “This is bad.”

“Yeah, okay, you check the software, I'll check the hardware, then if we don't find anything, we'll swap.” Jane said as she sat down next to her equipment.

“Righty-oh then Jane, let's do this. Ooh, should we let the team know?”  
“I don't know if it would make any difference to them Darcy, they've still got those things to deal with, and this might not have anything to do with them anyway.”

“Yeah, okay then.”  
The two women worked in silence as they searched for more information. The only sounds were the click of computer keys, and the occasional scrape of Jane's torch bumping on bits of metal in the depths of the machinery.

“Darcy?”

“Hmmm?”

“I think I've found something.” Jane's voice sounded metallic and echoed inside the machine. Darcy was crouching down beside her in record time. “Where?” she demanded.

Jane crawled out to make room for Darcy, and then pointed with the torch. “There... see?”

The two women peered at the small electronic device that was clinging to one of the data cables. “Well that's definitely not anything of ours. I think you've found the culprit Jane.” Darcy said with quiet satisfaction.

“Yes, but what is it?” Jane asked.

Darcy peered at it again, then tried to wriggle in closer. “You know, it kind of looks like something you'd find in a bad sci fi movie, but smaller, and with less teeth.”

“Darcy you say the strangest things,” Jane said, “do you think it's safe for us to remove it?”

Darcy crawled back out of the machine, and sat back on her heels, thinking. “I have no idea.” she admitted. “It could be active permanently, or it might only activate when the equipment’s turned on. If we remove it, it might send a signal or something, and then whoever put it there would know we've found it and they could then cover their tracks. I have no way of knowing what might happen if we do that.”

“Damn.” Jane stood up and stomped over to the door.

“Jane? Where are you going?”

“Not here. I need to think, and I need to do it with a drink.” 

Darcy sighed and stood up. “As good as that sounds, I have a kind of a bad feeling about this? We should probably just keep going and try and figure this out.”  
Jane sighed, “I know, but I really want a break, even just five minutes? Or.. I don't know, could we get the facilities IT people to sort it out for us?”  
“Well, as good as that sounds – and it does sound good, you know, less work for us and all that – there's already been one weird incident here this week, which actually may very well have lead to this in the first place! I don't wanna take the risk Jane, I just... I don't trust anyone else around here.” Darcy said plaintively. Jane sighed again.

“Okay, yes, you're right. But I think it might be time to let Cap and Thor know about this. I still trust them at least.”

Darcy nodded, “Yep, sounds like an excellent plan Jane. How about we go find coffee and whatever cakes the cafe has today, and then we come back and attack this motherfucker head on.”

 

 

 

Stark and his cages had only just arrived when Natasha got the call from Jane and Darcy about the suspected sabotage on their equipment, and the billionaire immediately volunteered his and Fridays' services to assist them with their investigation. Before he left, he joined Bucky and Steve where they were watching carefully as Wanda guided the first of their shrunken monsters into one of the cages.

“So, that was some impressive work you guys showed there earlier. I had Friday put all the feeds up in my workshop so I could watch, and I have to say, I got a little bit nostalgic for old times.” Tony informed them.

“What, retirement not doing it for you any more Tony?” Steve teased the other man.

“Well, I won't say it doesn't have it's benefits, but there are definitely days when I could use a change of pace.”

“Well if you want an invitation Tony...”

“You have my number Steve.” Tony said pointedly. “Now, whilst I was watching you two play around with these Vortexlings...”

“With what?” Steve asked in disbelief.

“Oh, you haven't heard yet? Your new pets here? They've been dubbed Vortexlings by some unintelligent news anchor. It's not really catching on, but maybe given a bit time, it'll become a hit.” 

“I just...” Steve shook his head whilst Bucky hid a grin beside him. He thought the name was very 1940's pulp sci fi.

“Anyway, as I was saying, whilst I was watching Soldier Boy here perform his acrobatics I had a couple of new ideas for the arm, so give me a call when this is all over, and we'll have a chat.” Tony waved a hand at Bucky in a 'call me' motion as he walked back towards his personal jet, and Bucky nodded a quick 'Okay' along with a wave of agreement as he moved closer to the cage, ready to assist in case anything went wrong.

 

 

 

Darcy had managed to crawl into the tiny space at the bottom of the sabotaged machine with a torch and a magnifying glass to take a closer look at the little gadget, and was busy trying to take photos of it with her phone when Tony arrived.

“Good afternoon ladies. Or is it evening now? It's so hard to tell these days. Now, I heard you had a little problem that you need help with?”

“I've never seen anything like it in the real world Tony, hang on a sec, I'm coming out.” Darcy wriggled her way back out of the machine and dusted herself off as she got to her feet. Tony peered into the gap she'd left with interest.

“Here, use this while I get the pictures up on display.” Darcy said as she handed him the torch.

“Well, well, well, that **is** different.” Tony murmured as he squinted at the little device. He pulled a pair of glasses out of his pocket and slid them on. “Okay Friday, what can you see?” he asked. Jane and Darcy looked at each other in surprise. “You have your AI in your glasses?” Jane asked with a hint of envy in her voice.

“I have Friday everywhere Foster. If you had come to SI instead of here, well, who knows?”

“Ugh, you're trying to bribe me again, aren't you?”  
“Bribe?” Tony affected a tone of offended indignation, “Do you really think I'd sink that low?”  
“Yes.” came the quick answer from both women.

“I prefer to think of it as perks and incentives.” Tony grinned at them as he stood up. “Okay, I think we have something here.”  
He walked over to the large glass window and seconds later there were diagrams and other information lit up over the whole area.

“Essentially what we seem to have here is a very sophisticated bug. It's hooded into the data cable here, and it's using your own systems and connections to gather and then transmit any and all data you collect. It's also passing on commands, and very likely mirroring your entire system on a remote computer somewhere.”

“What the hell?” Jane said.

“Can you get it off? Or stop it?” Darcy asked.

“Depends.”

“On what?” Jane demanded

“On whether or not you want to tip off our spy that you've found their little bug, or if you want to try to catch and stop them.” Tony said bluntly.

“Duh, option two. Definitely.” Darcy said firmly, and Jane nodded enthusiastic agreement. “What she said.”

“Right then. In that case, Friday and I will fix it so that your systems will bypass the bug, but still feed it something a little less useful for our spy, and hopefully we'll be able to trace it back to a source.”  
“Do it.” Darcy said without any hesitation, “and I want you to show me everything you do, how you do it, and how to look after it.”

Tony eyed her with interest. “Again, if you two had come to SI when I invited you...”  
“Yeah, yeah, perks and incentives etc.” Darcy waved him off, “we'll talk about that later, ok? Right now we need to fix this, and then see if we can send those poor creatures back where they came from.”

Tony nodded, “Okay then, lets do this.”

 

 

By the time the empty cages were returned to Winnipeg, the wind was rising noticeably as the storm approached, and the last two monsters were getting more and more restless by the moment. They'd been kept in check using a combination of concrete barriers and Wanda's energy shield but she was starting to tire, and the barriers were disintegrating quickly under the onslaught of the nervous beasts. The cages were put in place, and the first one went in quickly, but the second one was more jittery, and kept charging at the barriers, and anyone who got too close to it. After several aborted attempts at herding it into the cage, they finally managed to get it heading in the right direction, and then an unexpected bolt of lightning hit the ground right beside it. As it twisted and bolted, it sprayed the spines on its back in all directions, and as the air was filled with the spear like projectiles, people ducked and ran for cover.

 

 

The trio in the lab were so immersed in their work that they hadn't been paying any attention to the muted television that was still tuned to the Winnipeg Incident, so none of them saw what happened, or knew that there were injured Avengers being flown back to the facility. Even their phones were being ignored as they poured all their attention into fixing the leak. Natasha stood in the doorway for several minutes, just watching, before she was noticed.

“Natasha? You're back already!”

”It's been three hours since you left us Tony. We're done now.”

Darcy straightened up and studied Nat carefully. “What's wrong? Did something happened?” she glanced towards the still muted television but the live coverage was no longer on.

“The team sustained some injuries....”

“What? Who?”

“Thor, Steve and Bucky.” Natasha replied.

Jane jerked upright from her position on the floor. “Thor's hurt? Why wasn't I told? How bad is it?”

“I did try to call but none of you answered. None of them are too serious but Doctor Cho’s flown in and they’ve all been taken to medical for …”  she watched as Jane disappeared down the hallway. Darcy looked between the lab and her disappearing boss, before putting her tools down and following. “Sorry Tony, but I should probably go with her... to keep her company... and stop her from terrorising the nurses...” she said awkwardly as she left quickly. “We'll be back!” she called behind her as she broke into a run.

Tony and Nat exchanged a glance. “So that's how we get them out of the lab huh?” the billionaire quipped.

 

Darcy arrived at the medical wing just a minute or two after Jane, but her friend was already yelling at Thor for allowing himself to be injured, even though the gods' wound had only been minor, and the jagged scar on his thigh would fade to a think pink line within a day or two, and disappear entirely before the end of the week. Darcy watched them for a moment, decided that the yelling would probably change to high key making out within the next thirty seconds, and went looking for the other two.

Bucky and Steve were sharing a room several doors down from where Thor was. Bucky sat half reclined back on his bed as Doctor Cho checked his drip and monitors, and Steve was sitting on the edge of the other bed, facing Bucky, with his back to the door. Neither of them was wearing a shirt, and the hole in Steve's shoulder, and the bandages covering Bucky's mid-section were clearly on display.

Even thought he was listening closely to what Helen Cho was saying to him, Bucky was fully aware when Darcy quietly appeared at the door, and paused there for a moment as she took in the view. As soon as Helen finished with him and went to talk to Steve, Darcy left the shelter of the door and came to stand next to his bed.

“What the hell happened to you two?” she asked in a shocked voice.

“It was just a freak accident.” Bucky said calmly, as if he didn't have a giant hole in his stomach. “We got a lightning strike at just the wrong time, and the thing we were trying to herd into a cage decided to let loose with the spear things that it had growing out of its back. Apparently it was streaming live on every network at the time – you weren't watching?”

He was actually relieved when she shook her head, “We've been trying to work around the bug that someone latched onto our data cable, totally lost track of time. Trust me, if Jane and I had have seen this..” she waved her hand at his bandages, “happening, we would have been waiting for the jet on the landing pad.” she said with a firm nod. Then she looked up and smiled at him. “I **was** watching earlier though. You know, I've never seen you in action properly before. Very impressive.” she grinned wider and winked at him. He could feel himself inexplicably blushing. “Well, thanks, but it's just my job really.”

“Mmm, not just a job. So anyway, how bad is it? The injuries I mean?” she asked. “I already saw Thor, he looks fine.”

“He is. He got one through the leg, but he heals even faster than me or Steve.”

“And what about you? Are you okay? I mean, that... that looks pretty bad to me.” she said with a worried note in her voice.

“What, this little scratch?” he joked as he pointed at his stomach. “It'll be good as new in a few days.”

She frowned at him, “It looks like more than a scratch to me.”

“It's ok, really. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. One of the spear things went right through, but it's a clean wound. It will take a little longer to heal than usual, 'cause they didn't want to pull it out until I was back here, and that kind of opened the whole thing up again. But it's not serious, see? Just a scratch.”

She moved closer to him so she could get a better look. “It's not a joke you know Bucky, if that thing had skewered you just a little higher up... well, that would have caused some serious problems.”

He peered into her worried face carefully, then quickly glanced around the room to see if anyone was taking any notice of them. Steve and Doctor Cho were still deep in conversation, and all the nurses had left. He reached for her hand, and tugged her closer to the bed. This may not be the perfect time or place, but...

“Darcy, you are absolutely right and I'm sorry if I caused you any distress. I really just... I don't want you to worry, okay?” he said in a low voice as looked intently at her face. “You know I've got a version of Steve's serum, don't you? I **will** be fine.” he continued as she looked sideways at him.

“Yeah, I know, and that's good and everything, but... it did scare me, I'm not used to this sort of thing.” she said carefully.

He nodded, and hoped that his next sentence went smoothly. “It's new to me too, but the good thing about the serum, is that, well, it means that I... I mean, it allows me to do a lot of things that I wouldn't normally do. For example, like take...”

“Hey guys, how's it going in here? How are you feeling? Have you seen any news yet? Canada loves us! We're like, their favourite heroes of all time! They especially love you!” Scott pointed at Bucky as he came bouncing through the door full of excitement, with Sam close on his heels. Bucky let his head fall back against the pillow as Darcy turned to see what the fuss was about, and Doctor Cho looked up, startled at the sudden invasion of superheroes.

“Right now Scott, I just feel numb.” Steve grumbled.

“What on earth do you think you're doing?” the doctor asked. “Can't you see that my patients need rest? Visiting hours are over. Everybody out!”

Bucky groaned quietly, as Darcy turned back to him and smiled. “Well, looks like I'll have to come back later okay?” She squeezed his hand, and then suddenly leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before she and the others were herded from the room. After the doctor gave him a final quick check over, and adjusted his drip, she also left, and then he and Steve were on their own.

He could feel the weariness creeping over him as he lay there, quietly listening to the other man making himself comfortable on the other bed, but before either of them had a chance to say anything, he was asleep.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a cow. I got inspiration, then it ran away, and then finally.. finally!! I got more inspiration.
> 
> I'm in the middle of work prac at the moment too, so that's one other reason why this is a bit later than I would have liked.


	12. Bedbound (I Got Stabbed by Something Long and Pointy)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Bucky is stuck in bed, Tony gets swindled and Bucky thinks everyone else is useless without him around to do the job properly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [The Original Prompt from Usedkarma](http://usedkarma.tumblr.com/post/147044691875/know-what-i-want-more-from-wintershock-fics-darcy)  
>  This chapter is brought to you by my work prac, Westworld, Australia's Next Top Model, and I forget if there was anything else.

When Bucky woke up again Steve was dressed and talking to Doctor Cho. It didn’t take long for him to realise that Steve had been discharged already. As he shifted on the bed he could feel the dull ache in his belly and a groan of pain slipped out. They both looked around at the noise, and moments later the doctor was by his side with Steve right beside her.

“Morning Buck, how’re you feeling?”

“Like I got stabbed by something long and pointy.” He replied.

Steve chuckled. “See, told you he’d be fine.” He said to the doctor, who just smiled before she spoke to Bucky.

“You’re healing well, although a little slower than expected. It’s nothing to worry about, it's just that as well as venom, there’s an extra substance in the spines that’s acting a bit like the anti-coagulants found in mosquito or leech bites, and it’s inhibiting the healing process a little.” She informed him.

“So how long will I have to stay here for?” he asked.

“I estimate three to four days on complete bed rest. You should be completely recovered within a week.”

Bucky leaned back on his pillow and sighed. “Great.”

“I’ll be back to check up on you again this afternoon.” she smiled at him again as she adjusted his drip before picking up his chart. “I'm restricting visitors to 5 minutes at a time until tomorrow however, so you might want to ask someone to bring you something to read or do whilst you're not sleeping, or for when you get sick of daytime television.” She finished scribbling in his chart, and then left.

“You leaving already?” he asked Steve once they were alone.

“Yeah, sorry. I gotta go take care of some reports and stuff. Sorry to leave you alone but...” he turned around and grabbed something off the tray table. “Darcy dropped in earlier and left this stuff for you.”

Bucky carefully adjusted the back of the bed and looked at the items Steve had set down on the bed. There were some old and battered paperback books, some sort of music player with both a set of small Bluetooth speakers, and some earbuds, and a DVD case.

“Now she had very specific instructions.” Steve said as he picked up the player. “You have to listen to this first - it's all set up, you just have to press play -then you can read the first two books. After that she said you watch the television series,” he held up the DVD case, “and then read the rest of the books.”

“This sounds complicated.” Bucky said, but he was smiling as he picked up the topmost book and looked at the cover, which was bright and cheerful.  

“She said its release order, the movie comes last, and if you can time it right she’d like to watch the tv series and the movie with you.” Steve continued.

“Well it’ll keep me occupied, that’s for sure.” Bucky replied sleepily.

“Yeah, it will.” Steve smiled. “I reckon she’s a keeper Buck. She also left this for you.” Steve held a piece of paper up between the first two fingers of his hand.

“What’s that?” Bucky asked curiously.

“Darcy's phone number.” Steve revealed.

“What?”

“You've been seeing this girl for how long now? And you never asked her for her phone number?” Steve gave him one of his patented ‘Captain America is disappointed in you’ looks.

“I'm not seeing her Steve.” Bucky protested.

“Yeah, you kinda are, even if there's no official word on it, and you're about the only person here who doesn't think so. That does not however, deny the fact that you two are friends, and even friends swap phone numbers Buck.” Steve pointed out as he handed over the piece of paper.

“Can I plead ignorance due to brainwashing and being frozen for the better part of 70 years?” Bucky grumbled. Steve sighed.

“That excuse isn't going to remain useful for much longer Buck. Time to get with the times, buddy.” he paused for a moment, and then shrugged.

“Anyway, I’ll leave you to it. I’ll stop by at lunchtime, see how you’re getting on. Oh, there’s food here for you too,” Steve pulled the tray table over the bed, “we ah, couldn’t wake you for breakfast, but I’ll get the nurse to bring you something decent on my way out.”

“Thanks. I’ll see you later.” He watched Steve leave and then stared at the piece of paper for a minute. He wondered if Steve realised that he was the only person that Bucky ever called or texted with his phone? He picked his phone up off the tray table where Steve had considerately left it for him, and tapped out a message. Then he picked up the music player, plugged the speakers in and pressed play. There was a short introduction, and as the music swelled behind the narrator he lifted the lid of the breakfast tray. Then he paused and listened closely for a moment.  Was that... a banjo??

 

 

 

"So, I think we've got something from this sneaky little device here." Tony said as he waltzed into the lab.

Darcy and Jane both looked up with interest. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." With a flick of his wrist Tony had a map up on the glass window and was pointing at various glowing dots.

"We so need one of those Janey." Darcy said quietly.

"It could be arranged Lewis, all you have to do is ask." Tony said. "Now pay attention."

He pointed again. "So this is where the wormhole opened. Without the piggyback signal, you would have had a two foot wide wormhole right here in the lab, just like you prepped for, right? Good work by the way, I like what you're doing."

Both women nodded, "Get on with it Tony." Darcy said.

"Sorry. Right, where was I? Oh yeah, so instead we got the Winnipeg thing. This..." He pointed again, "...is where the extra signal came from, so we're assembling a team to go seize control of the equipment and then we should be able to send those monsters back home."

“What, that's it? Mystery solved?” Darcy asked, frowning.

"Well, that was a lot faster and easier than I was expecting." Jane said.

"Yeah..." Darcy said as she stared lustfully at Tony's glasses. "Are you going with them?" she asked idly.

"What? No, I'm just providing brainpower and tech support."

Darcy leaned into Jane and whispered something furiously in her ear, then straightened back up and fixed a sharp gaze on Tony. He took an unconscious step back at the predatory grin on her face.

"Excellent." She said firmly, "because Jane and I currently seem to have found ourselves in a land of limbo regarding several things in both our private and professional lives, and as the Official Patron Saint of the Avengers we feel that **you** are in an excellent position to help us find solutions for some of these problems. We" she threw an arm around Jane, “want to negotiate with you."

Tony blinked. "What for?"

"We were thinking... research and development opportunities. The privilege of being able to access some tech and funding, and one or two other things."

Tony leant back on the desk and surveyed the pair of confident women in front of him, and wasn't sure if the feeling in his chest was pride, satisfaction, delight or a sensation of impending doom.

 

Bucky was engrossed in listening to what had turned out to be a play, when the soft chime of his phone sounded. Picking it up, he found a short message from Darcy.

 

_You're very welcome, I know it looks like a lot but I think you'll like it._

 

He smiled, so far so good. The phone chimed again and another message appeared.

 

_Also, Jane and I just swindled Tony, will tell.all later :-)_

_Now that's a story I want to hear._

_Will.drop by after lunch, so much busy to do here atm! <3_

 

Bucky was peering closely at the message, wondering what the weird little things at the ends of her messages were meant to be when Steve dropped in again. He stayed just long enough to bring Bucky up to date with what was happening before leaving again on the mission to apprehend the spy. Not long after that, to Bucky’s surprise Tony unexpectedly dropped in, and flopped into the chair next to his bed.

“So I think Lewis and Foster just out negotiated me, which is a rare thing, but I suspect I'll be grateful in the long run.” he declared, then sat up a bit straighter. Bucky just blinked at him.

“Anyway I managed to find some time to look over the scans and stuff that you and Lang did of your arm, and I've come up with some preliminary ideas and designs for you.” Tony pulled out a tablet and placed it on the tray table. “Some of them are probably just high end dreaming but we might still be able to get something practical out of them.”

Bucky looked at Tony and the tablet dubiously. “I think I'm a little concerned about what I might find on that thing now.”

Tony shrugged and then smiled slightly. “Probably a wise feeling that one. But I could probably co-opt quite a bit of the Iron Man tech into it if you want.”

Bucky's interest spiked. “What, like the things in your hands? And some of the stuff that War Machine has?” he picked up the tablet.

“Mmm, just have a look at what's on that for now.”

“Thanks, I'll do that.”

“Not a problem, just give me a call when you're all done and let me know what you think.”

“Ah, yeah, I don't think I have a number for you.”

“There's a full contact list on the tablet. Keep it, it's yours.”

“Um, thanks?” Bucky said, surprised at the generosity.

“You should have already had one.” Tony replied. “Anyway, gotta rush, I'll be back soon. Probably.”

After Tony left, Bucky grabbed his phone to text Darcy again.

 

_Tony just visited me. He seemed to be in a very good mood so whatever you did, keep doing it. He also gave me a tablet with new arm designs._

_Can't wait to see them. Won't make it after lunch tho. Sorry. :-(_

_Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere._

 

He didn't get another reply, and he assumed that they were probably too busy doing whatever it was they were doing. He spent the rest of the day alternating between reading, listening, eating and sleeping, and then spent a restless night tossing and turning as the serum in his body battled with all the foreign substances in his system, and the painkillers in his drip.

 

 

The next day continued in much the same manner as the previous day. He finished listening to the play, read for a while. Ate breakfast, second breakfast and lunch, and was reading again when Steve, Sam and Scott returned with a very interesting tale.

 

“What do you mean you haven't caught the person responsible for the bug on Foster's equipment yet?” Bucky demanded. “Can't you lot do anything without me anymore?”

Scott coughed, “Well it's actually not that simple. It turns out that our superspy isn't actually a superspy at all, but a 15 year old who accidentally hacked into the information stream from the bug and didn't realise what she was doing.”

“What?” Bucky said incredulously.

“She thought she'd hacked into some computer game, didn't realise what was happening. It looks like the bug itself was actually placed by the security tech that went missing last week, we still haven't tracked him down though.” Steve added. “The good news though, is that Jane says we can still reverse the wormhole and send those creatures home.”

“Well at least we've got some good news.” Bucky sighed as he tried to get comfortable.

“Yeah, Foster and Lewis are prepping for that now, they're both insisting that they need to go look at the set up first though.” Sam added.

“What, they wanna go up there?” Bucky asked.

“Yeah. Jane says if possible she'd like to bring it all back here but she needs to look at it first” Steve related.

“Who's going with them?” Bucky wanted to know next.

“They’re taking Thor, plus Sam and Scott have both offered to go as well.” Steve said reassuringly.

“Don't worry man, we'll take good care of your girl for you.” Sam smirked.

“Will you stop saying that?” Bucky said frustratedly. “Please?”

“Okay.” Sam said, and Bucky was rendered speechless. He stared after Sam as he left the room. Was that really all it took? He lay his head back on his pillow and sighed. The sooner he was out of this bed the better.

 

The rest of the day passed in a very similar manner to the previous one, reading, eating, sleeping, and finally a few short text exchanges with Darcy about the play and the books. When he informed her that he was almost ready to watch the television series what he got in reply was a whole string of little pictures, followed by the words _I'll be back tomorrow, can you wait for me? You can keep reading the books if you want._

He passed another restless night, but managed to get a stretch of good sleep towards the morning, and when he woke up on the third morning after the Winnipeg thing, the pain in his stomach was considerably reduced, although it still stabbed at him if he moved to quickly or the wrong way. He had messages from both Steve and Darcy saying that things were going well, and they'd see him when they got back. The third day of his enforced bed rest passed in much the same way as the previous two.

 

 

It was very late and Bucky was dozing when someone entered his room quietly. At first he stayed as he was, quiet and still, hoping that whoever it was would go away if they thought he was asleep, and then he caught a whiff of a familiar scent that he'd come to associate with one particular person. He opened his eyes.

“Oh hey, I didn't mean to wake you. I was just gonna leave this for you.” she held up a cardboard box.

“What's that?” he asked as he rolled over too quickly, a small hiss of pain escaping as the sudden movement jostled his wound. She put the box down and was over at his side faster than he would have expected for an unenhanced person.

“Are you okay? Do you want me to call a nurse?” she worried at him.

“I'm good. Well, mostly good. It’s still a bit painful if I'm not careful but there's not much anyone can do about that.”

“Well that sucks but I'm glad you're feeling better.” she smiled tiredly, and then he smiled back as she yawned.

“You look tired.” He observed.

“I am, it’s been a long few days, I’m ready to crash.” She admitted.

“So the box?” he asked curiously.

“Oh, yeah. Well you know that Jane and I had to go to Winnipeg yesterday to check out the hackers’ set up right? Well, I found this awesome little bakery, so I got you some cupcakes. See?”

He peered into the box. There were half a dozen cupcakes inside, two each of three different flavours.

“I got you two chocolate ganache, two maple bacon and two pumpkin spice.”

“Maple bacon? They look amazing.” Bucky said as he admired the beautifully decorated little cakes. “You didn't have to, but thank you.”

She laughed quietly at that and carefully moved the box away. “Of course I did, you're stuck in hospital, that always deserves cake. Now, I have something else for you as well before I get discovered and kicked out.”

Before he could react she was leaning over  the narrow gap between him and the edge of the bed and wrapping her arms around him in an awkward hug. “This is from Jane,” she said, her mouth next to his ear, her warm breath against his skin sending a shiver down his spine, and then she turned her head, kissing him firmly on the cheek as she hugged harder, “and this is from me.” He squeezed back, his arms lifting to embrace her firmly as she rested her head against his shoulder for a minute, her hair tickling his cheek. If there was a heaven, he thought to himself, it was probably a lot like this.

“Hey, Darcy?” He said softly, not really wanting to disturb her, but the moment just seemed right. And she was making no move to leave.

“Yeah?” she mumbled into his arm.

“There's something I've been wanting to talk to you about.”

“Mmm?” she responded, as she turned her head to look at him. Her eyes were only half open, and she looked like she'd been ready to fall asleep.

“I've... been wearing Steve's suit.” he said quietly, and held his breath.

“What, like to see how it feels?” she giggled. “I'd totally do that too if I lived with him I think. Did you feel like, super patriotic in it?”

He smiled, and released his breath. “No, not like that. I was wearing it to **be** Captain America. On missions.”

She lifted her head off his shoulder and looked at him with her eyes half closed with tiredness. “How long for?”

He looked away from her as he braced himself for the confession he'd been trying to get out all week. “Since a couple of weeks before you and Jane moved in here.” he was too scared to look back at her.  
“So... it was you at the laboratory?” she asked as she pushed herself up and he was forced to let go of her as she wriggled around, adjusting her position and lifting her legs onto the bed, laying herself down next to him. His gaze found its way back to her face, but there were no looks of betrayal, or fear, or hate, or any of the other things he'd half been expecting from her, just keen interest, and something else he couldn't quite decipher, and she was making no attempt at moving away from him. In fact she'd just gotten closer.

“Yeah, that was me.” he nodded, and then jumped right into the speech he'd been rehearsing ever since his first aborted attempt at telling the truth. “Steve's been doing this almost non-stop since he came out of the ice, so I told him to take a holiday. They never let him take holidays, you know? There was always something else that they wanted, or that only he could do.” He turned his head on his pillow and then realised his arm was now trapped underneath her. “My serum isn't the same as his, but I've got all the same enhancements and abilities. I can fight like him, use his shield just as well, and my arm would always be hidden. We figured no one would notice, because no one would even expect it. And, as far as I knew, no one did.”

He was almost afraid to look at her, but he glanced sideways at her anyway, “Are you mad at me? I'm really sorry I didn't tell you. At first I didn't think I needed to, and then, later... well I've been trying to get it out for the last week.”

She dropped her head down onto his shoulder, her body shaking, and his trapped arm automatically came up around her shoulders. “Darcy? Are you okay? Please, don't be mad at me, I don't think I could handle it...”

“Oh boy.” she said and he realised she was actually laughing into his chest.

“Darcy? Are you… are you laughing at me?”

“Ugh, no, it's ok, it's ok, I'm laughing at myself. It’s just... well, you're not the only one with a confession here. So, don't be mad at me either, okay?” she lifted her head back up to look at him, and he frowned. “What do you mean?”

She propped herself up and looked at him straight on.

“I...  kind of knew.” she said slowly. “Not straight away, well kind of straight away, but not specifically **you** straight away, but I knew it wasn't Steve... and well... it didn't take me long to figure it out, although in hindsight I should have twigged a bit sooner...” she babbled.

“You knew?” he said flatly.

“Just, let me tell the whole story, then we can decide who we're going to be mad at, okay?”

“Okay. Continue.” he said, curious to see where this was going.

“Okay, so I've never met Steve before this week, but I've seen him around, you know, wave from a distance kind of thing. He's often been in Tony's workshop when we've been visiting the tower, and we almost always go to Stark's functions with Thor. Anyway, I like him, he's a good person, and really, he got dealt a shit hand from life, you know?”  
He nodded, they both had.

“So then, you show up back from the dead, SHIELD implodes, and I remember seeing him at one of Tony's parties, and he was just so miserable. I was really only there to keep Jane company and rescue her from the really obnoxious people, so I decided I was going to spend some time with him, but he disappeared before I got the chance. I did however, talk to Natasha that night, and she told me a little bit of what had happened, and why he'd left the party so early. I told her that I would  happily be a friend to him, and then - and I fully admit that I was several sheets to the wind by this time - and then I kind of promised that when you finally came home I'd be a friend to you as well if and when I got the chance. No matter what.” she paused, looking down again.

“So, you're just keeping a drunk promise you made to Natasha?” he said, not sure of how he was feeling. He had a feeling that it was more than a promise she'd made years ago, but he didn't know if he could be sure.

She lifted her head again and the look in her eyes almost took his breath away

“No.” she said softly. “Not any more anyway. Oh god, this is going to sound stupid and bad. Please don't judge me.” she wriggled around a little more, and then lifted her chin and looked him firmly in the eye. “A few months ago I was involved in a drunken game of truth or dare with Natasha, Wanda, and Maria. It got messy, but one of my dares was that Nat dared me to join the 'I Kissed Captain America' club.”  
“The what?” Bucky said, openly confused as Darcy's story took a completely unexpected turn.

“Nat started it, after they had to go into hiding together when... well, when. She said he needed the practice.” she snorted into his shoulder. “Anyway, he somehow got wind of it, and skipped out before I got the chance to complete the dare, but Nat refused to let me off. I'm pretty sure he's been avoiding me ever since. Did you know he's actually incredibly good at avoiding women who try to kiss Captain America? Cos he is. Plus I wasn't going to push it if he **really** didn't want to, and all the evidence kind of told me that he didn't want to. So the fact that he didn't run as soon as we were both out of that hole the day the lab exploded? Well I just thought that he'd gotten sick of avoiding me and was just giving in to the inevitable, plus I was so high from all the adrenaline… I did freak out about that kiss the next day though.”

“He never said anything about any of this to me.” Bucky said in a bit of a confused daze.

“Really? He never warned you about this crazy woman who'd been dared to kiss Captain America?”

“Nope, not a damn word.” Bucky was starting to feel set up, but he wasn’t sure how he felt about it. Darcy frowned slightly.

“You know, that's even stranger, considering Jane and I have standing invitations to any Stark party, and even before we moved in, we spent quite a bit of time here as well, especially if Thor was around.” she informed him, whilst distractedly running her fingers over his chest. He absently caught her hand in his as he thought out loud.

“So when I offered to wear his suit for a while, Steve was perfectly aware that I'd probably come into contact with you sooner or later?”

“I'd say... probably yes.” she nodded at him.

Bucky stared at her. “I don't know if I want to kill him or thank him.”

“He's a troll, and he definitely set you up. Hell, he set us both up. Hmmm... Thank him, but punch him real hard first.” Darcy grinned.

“So, does this mean that we're not mad at each other?” Bucky asked hopefully.

“The absolute opposite of mad I think.” Darcy said with a happy sigh as she lay her head down on his shoulder again. They lay there together for a little while, and he mulled over everything she'd just told him whilst he basked in the warmth of her body pressed up against his.

“So tell me more about this club? Like, who's in it?” he asked curiously as he smoothed over her hair with the hand that wasn't so much trapped underneath her now, as wrapped around her.

“Oh, well Nat for sure, and Sharon. I suspect Maria might have managed to lay one on him too but she's not admitting to it, and I have no proof. It's quite an exclusive club, but not one that I want to be a member of anymore.”

Bucky thought about this for a minute as his heart soared. “I was there when he kissed Sharon. It was awkward, and we gave him hell. I didn't know about Nat though.”  
“They were in a mall running from the Strike team.”  
An idea was forming in Bucky's head now, “Okay, I have a theory - hear me out. Firstly, he wasn't in uniform for either of those kisses, right?”

“Noooo?”

“No, so technically, they didn't kiss Captain America, they only kissed Steve Rogers.”  
"Mmm. I hadn't thought of it like that, but go on.” Darcy said.

“Yeah, but you have.”

“I kissed you.” she pointed out.

“And I was wearing the uniform, so that made me Captain America. And there's only one other woman who ever kissed Steve when he was wearing it.” Bucky explained.  
“Peggy Carter!” Darcy said softly.

“That's right, my theory is, only you and Peggy are actually members of the 'I Kissed Captain America' club. The others would only be members of the 'I Kissed Steve Rogers' club.”

“Well, I am most definitely not a member of that club. The other one sounds much more exclusive.” Darcy sniffed. “I don't go around kissing just anyone.”

Bucky smiled to himself. “You don't know how happy I am to hear that. But, ah, how do you feel about being the founding member of the “I Kissed the Winter Soldier” club though?” Bucky said quietly, wondering how she would respond to that.

“What about Nat?” she surprised him with that question.

He sighed, “She’d be the first to say that we’re such different people now, it doesn’t count.”

“Well in that case," She looked at him with that familiar, wicked glint in her eye, “I'm going to be the **only** member of that particular club,” she said as she pulled her hand free and placed it gently on the side of his face whilst moving her head closer towards him, “but first I want to kiss Bucky Barnes, as himself.”

“Okay.” he said as she closed the gap between them, lips meeting softly at first, and then deepening slowly. He could feel the fingers of her hand brushing against his cheek as she delved gently into his mouth. The kiss intensified as her hand moved through his hair, and he wrapped his arms around her as he responded, pulling her closer, plundering her mouth as his hands roamed of their own free will, and then she pulled away, breathing heavily.

"As much as I'm enjoying this, and would like to continue, I should probably go now." She whispered into his ear. "We both need sleep, and I have a lot of work to do tomorrow."

He sighed, resting his forehead against hers. “I really hate that you’re right about that.”

“Yeah, me too.” She pulled away reluctantly, and sat up. He let his hand linger on her back until she got off the bed, and then she turned around and pressed another kiss to his lips.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He watched her walk quietly to the door, and peek around the corner to see if anyone was there. How the hell did he get so lucky?

“Hey, Darcy...” he had one more thing to say before she left. She turned her head and looked at her. “I feel like we need to adequately reward Steve for his, um, help, in this situation. Mind if we keep this to ourselves for a bit longer?”

She studied his face for a moment, and then grinned. “Yes, you’re absolutely right. She glided back over the floor and planted yet another kiss on him before she disappeared out the door. He smiled smugly to himself as he drifted back to sleep - he could used to this.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The bakery Darcy visited is the High Tea Bakery, it's real, and they do actually sell all three of those cupcake flavours at one time of another. They also do a large range of other cakes, biscuits and stuff, as well as custom cakes for weddings, birthdays, engagements, and other special occasions. They have a Facebook page, and it's owned by distant cousins of mine. One day I'm going back there, and I'm going to try EVERYTHING!!!!
> 
> This chapter has given me so much pain, I got inspiration, then I lost it, then I got it back, then I accidentally wrote the perfect opportunity for Bucky to confess but the story still has some loose ends to wrap up.... I am going crazy! No idea how long it'll take me to get the next chapter up, life is starting to get hectic here. We're supposed to be moving in early December...


	13. The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Bucky gets to go home, eat cupcakes, and watch Darcy work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [The Original Prompt from Usedkarma](http://usedkarma.tumblr.com/post/147044691875/know-what-i-want-more-from-wintershock-fics-darcy)
> 
> This chapter is brought to you by Westworld, something else, something else else, moving house, trying to pack my house, procrastination, and a lack of inspiration...
> 
> Holy cow, this thing has passed 10,000 hits. How did I only just notice that?? And I'm almost at 560 kudos. I'm speechless…
> 
> Anyhow, this is pretty much fluff, with hardly any plot (or plotting...)

The next time Bucky woke up it took him a few minutes to remember that last night hadn't been a dream. He still had questions, but he felt lighter than he had for days, and the future was looking a lot better than it had for quite a while. He'd finally gotten his confession out, and it hadn't blown up in his face. In fact, pretty much the opposite. He could feel a goofy grin spreading across his face at the mere thought of it. He reached over and picked up his phone, pleasantly surprised to find several messages waiting for him.

 

Darcy had sent, over the course of about three hours, ten separate messages.

 

_ BTW forgot to say that Jane knows too. <3 _

_ And Nat knows that we both figured it out. :-D _

_ Is Steve interested in anyone atm??? _

_ It’s not that I feel a need for revenge or.anything, but I do feel that we need to  _ **_thank_ ** _ him in some way.  _

_ Although I do feel this would have happened eventually anyway.  _

_ Especially once I saw you in  _ **_your_ ** _ suit. ;-) _

_ Do.you think Steve even realises what he's unleashed here???? _

_ Save me.a cupcake? I'll come over so we can plot. :-) _

_ And then I'm back off to Winnipeg  dammit. :-( _

_ Time to send those poor little critters home!! _

 

As he read through them, his smile got bigger and bigger, and then he snorted at the last message. One of those ‘poor little critters’ was the reason he was in this damn sick bed. And he still didn't know what the funny symbols at the ends of the messages were. He'd have to remember to ask her when she came back for the cupcakes. 

From Steve he had a single message.

 

_ Been called out on a mission, be back tomorrow. _

 

By the time Dr. Cho came in to check up on him he'd managed to eat breakfast, have a quick shower, and was reading again. 

“Good morning Bucky, how are you feeling today?”

He slid his bookmark in and put the book down before he replied.

“Feelin’ a lot better today Dr Cho, reckon I'm ready to get out of here,” he said hopefully. 

“Oh you do, do you?” she said with a smile. “Alright then, well, let's have a look and see, shall we?”

 

Fifteen minutes later, the doctor had given Bucky the all clear to be discharged as his final blood tests had  come back indicating that all the foreign substances were now gone from his system. He texted Steve first, and then Darcy. 

 

_ Doc Cho just gave me the all clear to get out of here. Want to meet me at home? _

 

He got a reply back from Darcy within seconds. It was just a long string of the funny symbols and pictures. Followed shortly by an ‘ _ ok breakntime bevthrtrcin 10. nedxoffefrst.’ _  He stared at the message for a few seconds, trying to decipher it, and then gave up and started getting ready to leave.

 

He was just putting the last of his things into the bag one of the nurses had given him when there was a tapping in his doorframe. To his surprise, it was Darcy, peering at him over the top of a large travel mug. She gave him a long appraising look, and then grinned.

“So I heard you need an escort home?”

“I do?”

She nodded, “Helen called me, said she didn't want you going by yourself, just in case, and apparently I'm the only person she trusts to do it.”

He stared at her for a moment, then narrowed his eyes. 

“She knows, too, doesn't she?”

“She might have caught me leaving last night,” Darcy hedged. “I may have also asked her to call me first for everything.” She batted her eyes at him, and he crumbled. 

“Is there really any point to us trying to keep this a secret from Steve long enough to try and exact any sort of retribution for his bad behaviour?” he asked.

“You know, I actually have my doubts about that,” she said soberly, and then brightened up, “but I also have a couple of ideas. Why don't we get you home, and discuss it over cupcakes?” She winked at him as she drained her coffee before absent mindedly putting it on his tray table, and he wondered how he'd managed to get so lucky. He looked at her for a moment, and then stepped right up next to her, and bent his head until his mouth was right next to her ear.

“Will there also be more kissing?” he asked in a low voice, and was delighted when she shuddered slightly as his breath tickled her neck. “Cos I really like the kissing.”

“Mmm, I think you could be in with a chance there,” she said smoothly, and he grinned in satisfaction as he stepped back and picked the bag up.

“Well then, let's go.”

 

It was good to be back in his own rooms. He tossed his bag on the bed and then went back to where Darcy was unpacking cupcakes on the table. 

“Do you want coffee?” she asked, flicking the switch on the kettle as he watched her, momentarily wondering what she was doing with him.

“No. Thanks.”

“Alright then, what do you want first?” she looked over her shoulder at him, a smile on her beautiful face. 

“You,” he said.

“Oh you do, do you?” she replied with a saucy grin. 

“I do. You've been driving me crazy for weeks now, and I'd kind of like to return the favour,” he said as he stepped closer and tucked a loose tendril of hair behind her ear.

Darcy looked up at him slyly, “You think I haven't been driving myself crazy as well?” she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck. 

“Hadn't really thought about that,” he murmured as he covered her lips with his and pulled her tight against his body. He spread his hands across her back as he explored her mouth, smoothing the muscles with firm, gentle strokes up and down her back. She hummed into his mouth and pressed harder against him, her fingers tightening into his hair with a grip that urged him on. He let his hands dip lower, running down the curve of her spine and sliding under the edge of her top, stroking along the soft curve at the base of her back. She flinched slightly at the touch of his cold hands, gasping at the sensation. Her hands moved down his chest and gripped his shirt, pulling him even closer as she sucked hard on his bottom lip before slowly pulling away.

“What…” he protested.

“If we don't stop, there will be big trouble regarding a wormhole and four weird alien lifeforms,” she said, pressing her face into his neck. 

“Damn,” was all he could reply.

Darcy chuckled. “Yeah, but there'll be plenty of time later. Right now though, cake, then I have to get back to the lab,” As she pushed away from him, he chased her mouth for another swift taste before letting her go.

“Those things are causing more trouble than I thought possible,” he grumbled a little as Darcy handed him a cupcake.

“Tell me about it. Jane's been blowing up my phone with messages non stop since she left.”

“You mean like you did to me last night?” he asked. “Which reminds me, what’s this s’posed to mean?” He showed her the last text. 

“Oops. Well that'll teach me to check my spelling when I'm multi-tasking. It's supposed to say ‘break time be there in ten. Need coffee first.’ I'm probably lucky that autocorrect didn't turn it into something bizarre, or lewd,” she said.

“Lewd? No, I don't think I want know. And these things, what are these?” he pointed to the little pictures.

Darcy spent the next ten minutes explaining emoticons to him as they ate cupcakes, and then the conversation turned to recent events, and who was going where. 

“Ooh, I have some good news there. I'm not going back to Winnipeg anymore, Jane's gone instead,” Darcy said with a tone of satisfaction.

“How come?” Bucky asked as he took another bite of cupcake.

“Well, I ran into Nat as I was going back to my room last night and I'm afraid I kinda spilled some beans,” Darcy replied without any remorse at all.

“She knew, didn't she?” Bucky guessed.

“Yep. One look at me and she knew straight away. So we had a quick chat, and now I'll be operating the system here, and Jane and Hacker Girl will be operating the one in Winnipeg.”

“Hacker girl?” Bucky asked curiously. 

“I keep forgetting her name. The girl from Winnipeg, who hacked the bug signal. Once Nat finished scaring the bejeebers out of her in interrogation, we offered her a scholarship, plus a summer internship, plus a job once she graduates. Once she got over the shock of that, she was perfectly eager to help us send those animals home, which is a good thing, as the Care Of Magical Creatures department is having trouble keeping up with their appetites. Luckily they found a suitable food source, but even shrunk, they eat A LOT,” Darcy said enthusiastically, waving her hands around to emphasise her tale. Bucky, just watched, enjoying her enthusiasm. He had a feeling that the expression on his face was probably a bit dopey.

“Care of magical creatures department?” he asked, as the odd moniker caught his attention.

“Ugh. It's actually something like... hang on, I can remember this…  Maintenance, Upkeep and Protection of Peculiar, Extra Terrestrial, Mutant and Exotic Entities, which, when you get slightly creative with the acronym, comes out as MUPPET MEN. Care of Magical Creatures just sounds so much better, and strangely enough they agree with me on that one.”

“I think I do, too, even though I suspect that there's a reference there that I don't get.”

“Muppets, or Care of Magical Creatures?” Darcy asked, mouth full of cake.

“Ah, yeah, I don't know either of those,” Bucky admitted.

“Shit, I thought someone would have at least introduced you to Harry Potter by now. Dude, your friends are useless,” Darcy was horrified.

“My friends are Steve, Sam, Scott and Nat.” Bucky reminded her.

“Okay, I see your point. Although Scott should know better I think. But then again, Cassie probably isn't old enough for Harry Potter yet. Oh well.” She wiped her mouth, and shifted in her seat. “Anyway, we'll send the beasties home and then everyone comes back here for a big party.”

“So who's still here then? Are we on our own at the moment?” Bucky asked, playing with a cupcake wrapper and aiming for what he hoped was nonchalant. “Steve left on another mission this morning, but I don't know who he took with him.”

The way she looked at him, he was pretty sure he'd missed his mark, but he didn't really care. She smiled slyly.

“Steve took Nat, Sam and Vision with him, and Thor, Scott and Wanda are going with Jane, soooo… it's just us for now. And, you know, a couple of hundred support staff.”

He smiled back. “You know, maybe we should try and make the most of it. It'll be hard to find any privacy once our roommates are back.” He decided to ditch nonchalant and just head straight for suggestive.  

“Well, actually…” she drawled as she got up and took the plates to the sink.

“What?” he sat up straighter, wondering what she was going to spring on him now.

“Remember how I said we swindled Tony?” He nodded as she leaned against the sink and twinkled at him. “Well, Jane and I negotiated a new contract with him, and one of the things we made sure was in it is new, private quarters for both Jane and I. We'll be moving out of the guest suite within the week,” she finished triumphantly. 

“So you'll have your own room.” 

“Yep. All mine. No roommate, no noisy neighbours. Just me.”

“You're amazing,” he told her. 

“Pfft. That’s nothing. Wait until I tell you the rest,” she told him. “However, that's going to have to wait, as I need to get back to the lab.”

“Already?”

“Yeah.” She pushed off the sink, and came over to wrap her arms around his shoulders. “You get some rest, and I'll come and see you when it's all over, okay?”

He leaned into her. “Can’t I come with you?”

She drew back and looked at him. “Hmm, You know what, I don't see why not. There’s a couch in the lab you can stay on,  **but** you have to promise me that you'll do everything I say,  **and** not get in my way.”

“Scouts honour,” he promised.

“Like you were ever a scout,” she scoffed, pulling away again. “Come on then, there's work to be done.”

She turned around as if looking for something, and then ran her hand through her hair.

“Have you seen my travel mug?”

 

Half an hour later, after detouring back to the medical wing for her mug, and then the common kitchen to refill it, he was sprawled out on the sofa that she assured him was there purely for the nights that they worked right through, watching her work. It was nowhere near as exciting as he thought it might be.

“So, how long have you known? I mean, when did you figure it out?” he asked idly as he half watched the television that she'd turned to one of the movie channels. 

“What? Oh, at the hospital,” she said distractedly as she tapped away at the keyboard.

He looked over at her in surprise. “But that was weeks ago. You've known that long?”

“Hang on, just one more minute,” she tapped a few more keys, drained her coffee again, then got up, grabbed the remote and flicked to a different channel. A wide shot of a whirling hole in the sky over a flat, grassy plain, and underneath it a large circle of concrete barriers had been placed. 

Bucky looked back at the screen with renewed interest, forgetting his question as he was distracted by operation ‘Put Those Things Back Where They Came From Or So Help Us,’ as Darcy had called it earlier. “How are they gonna get them to go through it?”

“I have no idea,” Darcy said. “My part is done now, and as soon as they're through, I shut it down, and that's it. All done.” 

She put the remote back down and then moved over to the couch.  

“Shove over,” she said as she poked him to make room.

“No,” he replied, and pulled her down on top of him instead.

“You're a menace,” she complained, wriggling around, trying to get comfortable.

“Stop moving,” he said as her wriggling attracted the attention of certain parts of his anatomy. She twisted her head to look up at him and smirked. 

“Make me.”

“Now who's the menace?” he asked as he tightened a vice like grip around her and bent his head. 

By the time they came up for air, the last of the restored creatures was being lured through the wormhole by a trail of food, and Darcy had to scramble to get back to the computer in time to shut it all down.

 

It took a while for her to complete the shutdown process, and then there had been lengthy conversations with both Jane at the other equipment site, and Thor at the portal site, before Darcy declared the job complete. She stood up, stretched, and then announced,“It's time to go home,” before promptly presenting Bucky with one of the biggest and longest yawns he'd ever seen.

“Oh,” she said mildly. “I think the coffee's wearing off at last.”

 

Bucky, to his relief, was finally feeling normal again, and ready to take on the whole world. He hadn't realised how much the alien creatures’ spine venom had affected him until now. Darcy however, was leaning against him heavily, and seemed to have started a yawning marathon as he walked her back to her room.

“Darce, how much sleep did you actually get last night?” he asked suspiciously.

“What? Oh, um, an hour? Maybe two? At least three!”

He looked at her in disbelief as she unlocked the door for them, and then followed her into the room. 

“How did that happen?” he asked, “I thought you went straight back here after you left me last night?”

“I did,” she insisted, “Right after I spoke to Helen I came back here, and soon as Nat left, I went straight to sleep.”

He looked at her suspiciously as she failed to hide another yawn, and then stalked over and scooped her up, ignoring her indignant squawk of surprise as he turned toward the bedroom doors.

“Which one's yours?” he asked.

“Right,” she mumbled into his shoulder. 

He opened the door, and carried her over to the clothes-covered, unmade bed. He stared at it for a moment before putting her back on her feet. 

“I thought you were supposed to be the one who  **did** the looking after, not the one who  **needs** looking after,” he said disapprovingly as he pushed the clothes onto a pile on the floor, and then shook out the covers for her.

“Only in the lab, and mostly just Jane,” she said guiltily. “I'm a bit of a slob at home.”

“I'm can see that. Alright, hop in.”

“What?” she asked him blearily.

“You need sleep. Hop in. I'll wake you up in time for dinner.”

“I don't wake easily when I let myself get this tired,” she warned him as she flopped onto the bed.

“It's only just past lunch time now,” he replied as he arranged the covers over her, “and I'll wait for you to wake up on your own.”

“Mmm, no. Give me… three hours? And wake me up nicely?” She made a strange face at him.

“Did you just try to leer at me?” he asked, not trying to hide his amusement.

“What do you mean ‘try’?” she mumbled into her pillow.

“Just sleep, and I’ll wake you up nicely in a few hours.” He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her temple, pulled the covers over her properly, and she was asleep by the time he closed the door behind him.

  
  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this will probably be the last update for a few weeks, moving house in two weeks, so I need to really concentrate on that. Of course, if I wake up at 3 in the morning with ‘Inspiration!’ then that’s another matter entirely… :-)


	14. Road To Nowhere

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth is out there but Bucky's still getting nowhere at every turn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand we're back! Sorry it's been so long, but it took me a while to get my groove back, and then I had to figure out that my locked room dilemma didn't need to be a dilemma.
> 
> This chapter is brought to you by a shit load of housework, job hunting, all the other writing I've done while neglecting this, I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here and Riverdale.
> 
> Also final version of this chapter is unbeta'd.

 

 

Bucky went back to his room. He unpacked the bag of things he’d collected whilst in medical, had another, better, shower - and even shaved - while planning all the nice ways he could wake Darcy up from her nap. A long stare into his wardrobe had him selecting a soft comfortable t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants - easy on, easy off. He gathered up his new tablet, along with the books and other things that Darcy had loaned him while he was still bedridden, as well the last of the cupcakes, before returning eagerly to her quarters. That was when he discovered his problem.

The door was locked. 

The door was locked and he had no way of unlocking it. All private rooms in the complex were both card and thumb print coded for security, so even if Darcy had given him a card, he still wouldn’t be able to get in. He stood in front of the door for a minute or so, stock still as his mind ran through the options. He still had a few hours before he needed to wake Darcy up, so not being able to get back in wasn’t an immediate problem. It did mean however, that all of his plans were probably going to be useless… for now, anyway. He resisted the urge to bang his head against the wall, and turned aimlessly on the spot for a bit while he tried to figure out what to do.

Not wanting to go back to his empty room he decided to head for the common room. He made himself a cup of tea and then settled down on the couch to have a look at the new arm designs that Tony had done for him. He’d been meaning to look at them ever since Tony had dropped them off, but had been much more interested in listening to, and then reading, the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, so hadn’t gotten round to it. He turned the tablet on, spent some time setting it up to his personal preferences, and then opened up the arm prototype file that Tony had conveniently placed right in the middle of the screen. He spent the next couple of hours immersed in the possibilities that Tony was presenting him with.

 

He was so engrossed in looking through the designs that it was just pure luck that a certain need to get up alerted him to the fact that it was almost time wake Darcy. He packed things up, made two fresh cups of coffee, realised that there was no way he could carry everything in one trip, so decided to leave everything but his tablet and the coffees behind for now.

Standing in front of the door he had a moment of contemplation, then setting the mugs down carefully on the floor, he pulled his phone out and dialled, hoping that even if she’d set it to silent after the call with Jane, that the vibrations would wake her up. He was 99% certain that her phone was still in the pocket of her jeans, which neither of them had thought to remove before she passed out.

It rang out. He dialled again.

“Come on, come on. Answer Darcy. Wake up for me please sweetheart,” he muttered to himself as it rang out for a second time.

_ Third time’s the charm, _ he thought to himself as he dialled for the third time. This time, it picked up just before ringing out again.

“Mmphf,” came the grunt.

“Darcy? It’s time to wake up sweetheart.”

There was the sound of rustling, and then - “This is not what I call being woken up nicely,” Darcy’s muffled voice said sleepily.

“I know. I’m sorry. I’m kind of locked out,” he said sheepishly. There was silence on the other end of the line. “Darcy? You still awake? Don’t go back to sleep on me please, I brought coffee.”

“I’m coming to let you in,” she said, and then the line went dead.

He stared at his phone for a moment, then shoved it back in his pocket so he could pick the mugs back up. The door opened just as he straightened up and she was peering at  ~~ him ~~ the coffee with bleary, bloodshot eyes. He thrust one of the mugs towards her, and waited as she inhaled, then sipped. The sip turned into a large mouthful and when she brought the cup back down she already looked ten times more awake.

“We really didn't think this through, did we?” she said as she turned back into the room.

“Nope, and I didn’t even realise until I tried to get back in.”

He put his own cup and his tablet down on the coffee table as she drained the rest of her coffee.

“How did you sleep?”

“Like the dead,” she yawned. “And not enogh of it.”

“You hungry?” he asked. “I had to leave the cupcakes in the common room - didn’t have enough hands.”

“Go get them!” She looked at him as he’d committed sacrilege. “Go! Just because all the Avengers are out doesn’t mean there aren’t other scumbags around here who’ll steal them given half a chance. I’ll make more coffee.”

He grinned at her scandalised expression and couldn’t resist a quick kiss, which turned into a longer kiss when she grabbed him with her free hand. It was an effort to break free. “I’ll back really soon,” he said, grinning widely.

“You better be!” she called after him.

The cupcakes hadn’t disappeared, so he grabbed them, and all the other things he’d been forced to leave behind in favour of coffee.

When he got back Darcy had left the door ajar for him and was sitting on the couch with her new cup of coffee, admiring his new tablet. He offered her a cupcake which she took gratefully.

“Wow, Tony’s gone all out - this model isn’t going to be released for like, another two weeks at least.”

“It’s got all the arm designs on it.” Bucky reached over and unlocked the device for her. “Have a look.”

“Wow, there’s some far out stuff here,” Darcy said admiringly as she scrolled through the designs. “Check this out - it’s got Bluetooth, WiFi and satellite Internet, as well as a hidden compartment for a memory drive.”

“What on earth would I need those for?” Bucky asked sceptically as he sipped on his coffee.

“Dude - it means you’ll always have an Internet connection, as will anyone who’s with you. As long as they have the password of course,” she added as she distractedly took another bite of the cupcake while lost in the specs of the arm in question.

“Ooh, we’ll have to think of a super cool network name for you - Armless WiFi or Handy Internet or-”

“Those are terrible names - I am not letting you choose it.” Bucky cut her off before she could get any worse.

“Heathen,” she muttered.

“Am not.”

“You want Tony to choose the name? Cos if you do it’ll be something like Elsa’s Castle of WiFi or Assassin’s R Us Internet or maybe even Skynet! Something like that anyway.”

Bucky snorted. “I’ll think about it,” he promised. “I gotta choose an arm first though. There’s so many to choose from - I don’t know how I’m ever gonna pick just one.”

“You don’t have to,” Darcy said cheerfully. “Didn’t you see the shoulder refit plans?”

“What?” He shuffled closer to her as she moved the tablet onto her knee for both of them look at.

“Here, see. He’s designed a new shoulder fitting so that you can change arms to suit your needs.”

Bucky was speechless.

“I mean, it’ll require a pretty lengthy surgery from what I can tell, what with the way everything’s hooked into your nervous system and everything, but... wow! It’d be so worth it!” she finished excitedly.

“Ah… I…” he stuttered.

“Are you okay?” She put the tablet down and turned to look at him properly. “Hey, it’s okay, you don’t have to decide now.”

“I… it’s not that. I just - I guess - wow. I don’t know what to say. Why is he doing this? Up until a few weeks ago we’d have been more likely to try and kill each other, and now he’s trying to give me not one, but a whole menagerie of new arms!”

“Menagerie?” Darcy giggled. He rolled his eyes at her.

“It was the first word that came to mind, okay?”

“Nope, menagerie is fine. It’s better than armoury I suppose,” she added with a twinkle in her eye.

“Armoury… of arms,” he concluded with a put upon sigh, rolling his head back and covering his eyes with his hands. Good grief - was it too late to get out of this he wondered, and then stopped wondering when Darcy climbed into his lap, legs straddling his and planted a soft kiss on his mouth.

“Tony’s a bit of an odd duck at times,” she said as she combed her fingers through his hair and pulled it back from his face, “but when he realises that he’s made a mistake, or an error of judgement or that he’s just been a giant dick, then he tends to try and make things better - usually by overcompensating.”

He shifted his hands away from his eyes and took in the sincere look on her face.

“Overcompensating,” he repeated. “That’s a word I could get behind. It’s very Stark.”

Darcy nodded enthusiastically as she twined her fingers further into his hair, gently scratching his head. If he was a cat, he’d be purring right now.

“It certainly is. He doesn’t do things by halves.:

“Why the hell are we talking about Tony when I could be kissing you?” Bucky said, abruptly changing the subject as he pulled her closer to him. The unexpected presence of her in his lap, combined with the sensations she was causing on his scalp had reminded him that they had unfinished business to attend to.

“Um…”

He didn’t give her a chance to say anything else, just pulled her tight against him, crushing his mouth against hers as she eagerly kissed him back, arms snaking round the back of his neck, and hands stroking down the side of his face as he tasted the coffee and cake that she'd just had.

He shifted his hands, grasping onto her hips, holding her tightly in place as he released her mouth and moved to exploring her neck - she shivered slightly as he found the sensitive spot behind her ear. Her hands moved down his arms, brushed over the back of his hands and then she slipped them under his t-shirt. His breath hitched a little at the cold touch of her fingers ghosted across his skin and moved back to plunder her mouth some more, sliding his own hands underneath her shirt as payback. Her gasp was less one of shock though and she rocked in his lap, causing a groan to escape him as his hands moved across the smooth skin of her back, much as she was doing to him, and around to caress her belly. His thumbs brushed along the underside of her breasts as he ran his palms up their sides, and then just barely touched the hard buds underneath the fabric of her bra as his hands kept moving.

She mimicked his movements a little, palms slipped across his chest and then ran up to his shoulders, where her hands sank into his hair again, and she tugged slightly. He groaned again, and felt the blood rush to his head as he grasped her t-shirt and pulled it up.

When Darcy’s phone started ringing it took him a moment to realise what it was.

“Goddamn it,” Darcy muttered against his lips.

“Don’t… don’t answer it,” he begged as she pulled away reluctantly.

“It’s Jane, I have to,” she said apologetically as she kissed him again and crawled out of his lap, adjusting her clothing as she went.

She answered the phone with a cheerful, if slightly breathless greeting.

“Hey Jane, what’s up?

_ “Darcy! Are you by any chance in the lab at the moment?” _

The line was so loud that Bucky could hear Jane clearly, and Darcy cringed as she pulled the phone away from her ear slightly.

“Nope, I’m at home - I needed sleep, and everything was all done.”

She rolled her eyes at him while he sat forward and tried to get more comfortable as discreetly as possible. By the twinkle in her eye he was pretty sure she knew exactly what he was doing.

_ “Okay, can you go back down for me? I want you to turn the computer back on and check something for me so I can start the tracer program running.” _

“Oh come on Jane! Can’t it wait until tomorrow?” Darcy whined into the phone.

_ “I want to get a head start on trying to triangulate this other signal. The sooner we get the program running, the quicker we’ll get it done, and the quicker this will all be over. Plus, hopefully they won’t be expecting us to be doing anything so soon after the Winnipeg Incident.” _

“Oh god. Yeah, okay. Gimme ten minutes - no, make it twenty. I really need a shower first.”

_ “Ugh. You know what? Me too! Make it half an hour. Send me a message when you’re all ready to go, okay?” _

“Okay Jane, will do.”

_ “And Darcy?” _

“Yes Jane?”

_ “Please don’t desecrate my couch while I’m gone.” _

He heard the click on the other end as Jane hung up, and grinned as Darcy blushed.

“Is she psychic or something?” he asked.

“You could hear all that?” she replied as she buried her face in her hands. “Of course you could hear all that - everyone could probably hear all that!”

“Hey it’s okay - I can guarantee that my friends won’t be anywhere near that subtle,” he said as he pushed himself up off the seating in questions, and wrapped his arms around her again.

“Friends are the worst,” she joked into his shoulder. “Right. I should go shower and get back down to the lab before she calls again.”

“We’ve got half an hour,” he whispered into her ear.

“Half an hour is nowhere near long enough for what I want to do with you,” she purred back at him, and she twisted out of his arms and skipped off to the  bathroom.

He’s left standing in the middle of the room, feeling nothing but frustrated.

 

Bucky’s taken a few minutes to rinse out their mugs while Darcy is in the shower, and then he goes back to studying the shoulder refit plans on his tablet. He can’t figure out how didn’t see them the first time he looked but he’s all over it now. The plans are a miracle of modern engineering and he’s already planning all the different attachments h could have. He’s almost giddy with excitement. He looked up as Darcy wandered between the bathroom and her bedroom wearing nothing but a towel and a saucy look. He’s still staring when she shuts the door, and when he tried to go back to reading, concentration was impossible.

Twenty minutes after Jane’s phone call Darcy is dressed - in a very similar fashion to him he’s interested to note, stretchy pants and a t-shirt - and ready to go.

“You coming with me again?” she asked him as she popped her phone and keycard into a pocket on her behind.

“There’s no way I’m letting you out of my sight,” he declared, and she laughed as they returned to the lab.

Darcy texted Jane as soon as they got to the lab, and as it didn't take long to get the computer going again, by the time Jane called back Darcy was ready and waiting. There’s nothing for Bucky to do except watch again until it’s all finished.

_ “Right then - that looks like everything’s working properly.” _

Once again Bucky can hear Jane as clear as a bell through Darcy’s phone.

_ “Okay, so I won’t make you hang around all night,”  _ Jane said, and Bucky’s sure there’s a knowing tone in her voice. _ “I doubt it’ll find anything too quickly anyway, _ _ but I do want you to make sure any alerts will go straight to your phone, okay?” _

Darcy whipped around and took a few steps away from Bucky.

“Jane, are you doing this on purpose?” she hissed into the phone as quietly as she could. “This is not what I had planned for tonight!”

Bucky smiled to himself, and then quickly assumed a nonchalant I’m-not-listening expression when Darcy glanced in his direction. He’s pretty sure that she’s not fooled at all though.

_ “Well I’d rather be in my hotel room with Thor but I’m not!” _ Jane retorted and Darcy rolled her eyes.

“You’ve had Thor for years,” she whispered furiously. “I only just got mine!”

_ “I’m sorry Darcy, I really am, but you know how important this is - do you really think we’d be doing this now if it wasn’t important?” _

“Are you sure you can’t do it all by yourself?” Darcy pleaded and it was all Bucky could do not to laugh. He’d never realised before that this kind of frustration could go both ways, and it was something he felt would need appropriate exploration in the future.

Darcy wound up the phone call and then turned around to give him a bright, sunny smile.

“Riiiight… so I’m gonna assume that you heard all of that - again - so as soon as I finish telling the computer what to do in case of emergency, we can go.”

“So what are we going to do?” he asked with a grin. “You know, it’s almost dinner time, and then after that I was thinking that-”

He was cut off as she clapped a hand over his mouth.

“Just, don’t. Say. Anything,” she said. “I don’t want to tempt fate any more than necessary. I’m pretty sure Jane’s already jinxed us,” she finished sourly.

Bucky smirked, and then licked her palm.

“Ew!” she snatched it away, and wiped it on her pants. “You’re so gross.”

“So are we gonna get dinner or what?” he asked.

“As much as ‘or what’ is on the top of my list, a proper meal sounds really good right now.”

“Come on then, let’s go eat, then we’ll decide what to do from there,” Bucky said as he slung an arm around her shoulders and guided her towards the door.

 

Dinner was quiet - in spite of the regular crowd - which Bucky credited to the fact that the entire Avengers team wasn’t around to disturb  ~~ him ~~ them, allowing their conversation to wander freely about all sorts of things, and afterwards it had been a mutual decision to go back to Darcy’s suite. The tension between them had simmered quietly ever since they left for the lab, and now the closer they got to her door, the more aware of her he was.

He followed her through the door, then just stood and watched while she emptied her pocket onto the coffee table, admiring the shape of neck, breasts, waist… the way the tight pants she was wearing hugged her ass and hips. When she realised he was watching her, she paused and straightened to look at him. Silently he took the two long strides necessary to reach out for her hand and gently pulled her towards him. His intention was to go slow, which worked for about thirty seconds until she suddenly grabbed him tightly by his shirt and pulled them both backwards until she was pressed so tightly between him and the door he briefly wondered how she could breathe at all.

He recovered quickly from her surprise move, licking into her mouth as he slid his hands beneath her shirt to cup her breasts, brushing his thumbs over the buds stiffening beneath the lacy fabric.

She reached behind her for the door handle with one hand, while the other hand moved up to wrap firmly around his neck as the door opened and they stumbled backwards through it, toppling onto the bed just as Darcy’s phone started beeping.

He managed to get her top pulled off by the time the sound penetrated their addled brains.

“You know, I think I’m just about ready for this whole wormhole thing to be over. Done. Finished,” Darcy said wretchedly as he buried his face into her neck with a groan. “And there is a not-so-little part of me that wants to run away screaming and never look at another one of Jane’s machines again. Ever!”

“Nah,” Bucky replied, giving her one last lingering kiss before he reluctantly rolled away from her. “You’d be bored brainless within a week.”

“Not if you were with me,” she countered, and then relented. “Maybe you’re right.”

She turned her head and looked at him. “Don’t move, I’ll be right back.”

She climbed off the bed, glanced at her discarded t-shirt briefly and then ignored it.

“I’ll be right here.” He stretched out on the bed, (with a not so discrete adjustment,) fully aware that his own shirt had ridden up to show more than just a hint of the muscles underneath.

“You’re killing me Bucky,” Darcy half groaned from the doorway.

“What? What’d I do?” All those weeks of practicing Steve’s ‘I’m Captain America, I’m so innocent’ expressions were paying off.

“You know, if you hadn’t made your big confession this wouldn’t be half the problem it is,” she said accusingly.

“So this is my fault?” he asked, feigning mild offense.

“Damn straight. I could have been happily frustrated in a completely different manner,” she said haughtily as she disappeared through the door.

“Well I think you’re wrong about that,” Bucky called after her. “Considering the situation we’re in at the moment, I would’ve told you by now anyway.”

“Really?” she said sceptically as she reappeared in the doorway, phone in hand.

“Really. I'd been trying to find a good opportunity since Steve got back, and I tried, I dunno - two, three times before yesterday to tell you, got interrupted at every turn.” He raised himself up on his elbows as she studied him carefully. 

“Right now though? When there’s no one around to interrupt? It would have come out. I would have told you,” he finished, adding a come hither smirk when she raised an eyebrow at him.

“No one to interrupt… except for this stupid thing!” She waved the phone at him.

“So what’s up?” he asked, nodding towards the phone.

“Um, actually I’m not quite sure. I think we’re gonna have to back down there,” Darcy said tiredly, rubbing her eyes.

“Fuck.” He let his elbows slide out from under him and flopped back onto the bed.

“Sorry, but it looks like that just ain’t gonna happen,” Darcy replied as she sat down on the bed and pulled a pair of sneakers on.

“Come on - no rest for the wicked,” she added as she grabbed a hand and tugged. “You’re coming with me.”

“Huh, like you said - looks like that ain’t happening either,” he grumbled, but he sat up and pressed a hot kiss to the back of her neck, silently congratulating himself when she shivered. He picked up her abandoned shirt and tossed it at her.

“You might want to put that back on.”

 

A short time later they’re back down in the lab. On their way out Bucky had grabbed the DVD’s he’d brought back, and while he waited for Darcy he got the TV all set up and ready to go. He reluctantly decided that rather than risk being interrupted again, that they may as well occupy themselves in an alternate manner until the whole business was done and dusted.

Jane and Darcy had another long phone conversation, and finally Darcy seems to have fixed whatever was making her phone so loud, as he only heard her side this time. She made some more adjustments to the computer, and then joined him on the lumpy lounge to watch the DVD.

 

In typical fashion the computer hasn't made so much as the tiniest peep since they started watching television five hours ago. They're lying down now, snuggled in tightly together. He hates to admit it to himself but it's actually been really nice to just cuddle. They've had an in depth discussion about the entire Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy franchise, and then he remembered that they never finished talking about how long she'd known he was standing in as Captain America for Steve.

“So how long did you know again?” he asked her.

“Oh, it clicked the day of the hospital visit,” she said.

“Really? What gave me away? I thought I was being so careful.”

“Well, there's this look that you get when something really nice happens to you,” she told him. “It's like you can't believe it's real.”

“I do? I didn't know that.”

“Yes.” She twisted around so he could see her face properly and grinned at him. “You've got it right now.”

“I am feeling pretty unbelievable right now,” he admitted.

“The first time I saw it, all I wanted to do was make you smile.”

“Nat did say she thinks I've smiled more since you got here, than I have in the last year,” Bucky said. “I guess that must mean you've succeeded.”

“Huh, go me,” Darcy smiled with self satisfaction before leaning into him and kissing him. 

“Go you indeed,” he muttered as she fluttered tiny little kisses down the side of his neck. 

“You know,” she paused in her ministrations. “I think, instead of not telling Steve that I know your dirty little secret,” she winked slyly, “we should just do this in front of him every chance we get.” 

She proceeded to kiss him as if her life depended on it, and he almost forgot what he'd been going to respond with when she let him go.

“Why?” he managed to ask.

“Weeeellll… I kinda wanna watch him squirm. Even though I quite like the way this has turned out, it wasn't very nice of him to let you take over as Captain America without a heads up. How much fun do you think we could have with him?” She drew back and winked.

“So you want to embarrass him with filthy make out sessions?” Bucky asked.

“Yes. Exactly that. Make him think we've had wild monkey sex on every surface in your suite. Including his bed.” The look on her face was pure trouble. If he hadn't already had a massive hard on just from her kisses, he was pretty sure that look would've taken care of it.

“That's horrible,” he said. “Do you know how crazy that would make him?”

“Like he doesn't deserve it,” Darcy countered.  “He did a wrong thing - this whole situation could have turned out very badly and he's just incredibly lucky that it didn't. So my vote goes for making him think we've desecrated every surface possible.”

Bucky sighed and then dropped his own bombshell.

“Well, it wouldn't be the first time,” he said half sheepishly, half smugly as he shifted underneath her. 

“WHAT?!” shrieked Darcy, and he couldn't help laughing. 

“Way back before the war, I'm afraid I was a bit…” he trailed off, wondering what terminology was used these days. 

“You were a bit of a man whore?” Darcy said with raised eyebrows, and fighting a grin. 

“A man wh… what exactly are you implying there?”

“Hey don't look at me, you started it. Anyway, I've read the history books,” Darcy finished with a teasing smile.

“I was not… no you're right, I was. That isn't the word I was going to use though,” Bucky admitted.

“It's probably more accurate though,” Darcy said dryly. “Not that I'm judging or anything. I mean, what's in a name huh?”

“Yeah. What's in a name,” Bucky echoed, the mood having taking a sombre turn. “You know what? It's a good idea. I like it. It'll send Steve crazy.”

Darcy gave him one of the brightest smiles he'd ever seen and crawled up him until they were nose to nose.

“Let's make him squirm.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My Tumblr, if you're interested, is [ibelieveinturtles](http://ibelieveinturtles.tumblr.com/)


	15. Alarm Bells

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve inadvertently destroys crucial evidence and Bucky gets some retribution.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Believe it or not, but we really are getting closer to the end now...
> 
> [The Original Prompt from Usedkarma](http://usedkarma.tumblr.com/post/147044691875/know-what-i-want-more-from-wintershock-fics-darcy)  
> This chapter is brought to you by late nights, ex-tropical Cyclone Debbie, a lot of CSI but not Rogue One, cos I put my phone down and watched it properly!
> 
> Also, lots of love and thanks to the AMAZING CHRISSIHR!!!! for her excellent beta work and plot picking. :-D

 

 

"You know, just thinking that you don't know I was filling in as Cap, is going to drive Steve crazy," Bucky said as they formed a tentative plan of attack.

"Well, that's his problem," Darcy said, snuggling into Bucky's chest with a yawn. "Just one sentence from him at the beginning would have prevented that particular issue. He made his bed - now he gets to lie in it."

"You're determined to get payback, aren't you?"

"Hmm - not so much payback as retribution, I think." She pushed herself up so she could look at him properly. "If at any stage it looks like it's going to go pear-shaped, we tell him straight up, okay? I don't want to hurt him in any way. I just want him to take a good hard look at some of his decision making." 

He gave her a lazy smile. "I can do that. Operation Teach Steve A Lesson is a go then."

"Excellent," she murmured as she put her head down again. "This is gonna be so much fun."

Bucky smiled to himself as he closed his eyes and relaxed in the comfort of having Darcy in his arms. 

 

They were woken up by the sudden and unexpected sounds of alarms blaring and Darcy’s phone beeping and vibrating madly, almost falling off the lounge as they jerked awake. It took several ear-splitting seconds of trying to untangle themselves before Darcy managed to get to the computer to cancel the alarm.

“Shit,” she muttered as she almost missed the chair when she tried to sit down. “Shit, shit, shit, shit, fuck.”

“What’s happening?” Bucky was beside her in an instant.

“Someone’s trying to open a wormhole again,” she said angrily. “Don’t they ever give up?”

“It’s the middle of the night!” Bucky groaned before he glanced at the clock. “Okay, early morning,” he amended.

“I guess bad guys don’t look at clocks,” Darcy declared. “Assholes – who do they think they are anyway?”

“They don’t know who they’re messing with, sweetheart. You give ‘em hell, Darcy,” Bucky replied confidently.

“Damn right, I’ll give them hell,” Darcy said determinedly, fingers flying over the keyboard as she booted up yet another tracing program, and ensured that Tony’s diversionary protocols were working properly.

“YES!” she cried out triumphantly a few minutes later. “I’ve got it!”

“The assholes or the location of the wormhole they think they’re opening?” Bucky asked.

“Both!” Darcy said excitedly as she scrabbled for her phone, which had fallen on the floor in her rush to get to the computer. She stabbed at it several times and then waited, bouncing impatiently in her seat.

Her phone started ringing almost immediately and then Bucky’s went off a split second later.

“Janey, I’ve got the bastards!” Darcy crowed into hers while Bucky was still fumbling to get his out of his pocket. “I know where they are!”

Before Bucky managed to get hold of his phone, it cut off mid-ring, but Darcy was still chattering excitedly at Jane down the phone that she’d shoved between her ear and her shoulder.

“They’re trying to open another wormhole – and it looks like it's right above them, too, I think Jane.”

Bucky continued to listen with half an ear as he looked at his phone. The caller had been Steve. He hit ‘return call’ just as Darcy’s monologue changed.

“Oh, waitwaitwait... hang on Jane, something’s happening... nonononono, I’m losing the signal!”

Bucky twisted around at the note of panic in Darcy’s voice just as Steve picked up.

“Hey, Steve,” Bucky’s greeting was much more restrained that Darcy’s had been. “Hang on, something’s happening...”

“Shit. It’s gone.” The disappointment and disbelief in Darcy’s voice was palpable.

“Buck? What’s going on?” Steve asked.

“It’s gone!” Darcy wailed. “It just – disappeared! What happened? Jane, did you see anything on your end?”

“Whoever tried to hijack the wormhole machine just tried to do it again,” Bucky quietly explained to Steve while Darcy went into overdrive trying to get the signal back, still talking anxiously to Jane. “She had a lock on their position, and then the signal just disappeared. She’s trying to get it back, but it’s just … gone.”

“What? Just then?” Steve asked.

“Yeah, just after your call cut off,” Bucky said as he went to stand behind Darcy who was stabbing at the keyboard in futile desperation.

“It’s gone,” she said softly. “I had it... and now it’s gone.” She finally stopped tormenting the computer and leaned back on Bucky.

“Where was it?” Steve asked, a note of curiosity in his voice.

“Canada. Northwest Territories/Yukon border,” Darcy said after Bucky relayed the question. “Right in the middle of the  mountains, but I didn’t get a good enough look to narrow it down any closer before it disappeared.”

“Canada?” Steve said, and Bucky could hear the uncertainty in the other man’s voice.

“Yeah, near the border between-“

“Yeah, I heard that bit. Could you put me on speaker please, Buck?” There was an edge in Steve’s voice that had Bucky’s suspicious side sitting up and taking notice as he signalled Darcy for her attention and put the phone on the desk between Darcy and himself.

“Hold on a moment, Jane,” Darcy instructed her boss as she turned her attention to Bucky’s phone. “I think Steve’s got something to tell us, too.” She placed her own phone on the desk next to Bucky’s so that Jane could listen in.

“Go ahead, Steve,” she said.

“So that mission that we went on?” Steve started. “We’ve ended up in Canada, and if I had to hazard a guess from the way our day's been going? Well, I’d guess that we’re probably right where that signal you just traced came from.”

“What?!” Darcy and Bucky demanded together, and Bucky could hear the faint sound of Jane saying the same thing.

“We followed a lead and ended up in the mountains. There’s a really old Hydra base built into it – just like the one in Switzerland,” he finished.

“Okay...” Darcy looked from the phone to Bucky, curiosity and foreboding dread etched on her face.

“There was an explosion just as I tried to call you. That’s why I cut it off.”

“An explosion?”

“Yeah. Nat and Vision had just found a hidden section that we hadn’t realised was there, and went in to take a look-”

“Are they okay?” Darcy interrupted.

“Yeah, they’re fine – Wanda’s been teaching Vision a few tricks, apparently. He was able to shield them.”

“Oh, thank Thor,” Darcy breathed.

“Yes, but you’re not going to like the next bit Darce – Nat says she got a quick look at the room they found before it blew up, and she says it was full of computers, and what might have been a duplicate of Jane’s wormhole generator.”

“What?!” Darcy exclaimed again. “Steve, are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“Maybe,” Steve hedged. “We won’t really know—Damn, what the hell is that?” His voice faded a bit as he must have dropped the phone down.

“Steve? Steve?”

“Goddamn it – a jet just took off from another section of the mountain – Vision’s in pursuit. There must be a lot more to this base than we’ve discovered so far.”

“Steve, did you just tell me – that you  **blew up** the equipment that I’ve been trying to find for the last week?” Darcy’s voice was so tight that it could have been used to garrotte an entire legion of Hydra agents.

“Hey, I wasn’t even there! It just exploded,” Steve protested.

“Things don’t explode for  **no reason** , Steven!”

“I know, I know. I’m sorry. Look, we didn’t even know it was there until it was too late.”

“So why did you call then?” Bucky asked curiously as Jane’s tinny voice echoed from Darcy’s phone, demanding to know what Steve was saying. Darcy glared at Bucky’s phone as she picked hers up and stalked over to the other side of the room to tell Jane what had happened.

“You might wanna take me off speaker for this, Buck. Sorry, Darcy,” Steve said apologetically.

“Ah, she’s gone anyway. She's bringing Jane up to speed properly,” Bucky said as he took his phone off speaker. “What’s up?”

“We found... we found a chair here, Buck,” Steve said quietly.

Bucky sat down heavily in Darcy’s vacated chair.

“Fuck.”

“We knew you’d want to know.”

Bucky could feel the creeping tendrils of panic rising at the back of his mind, and he looked up to see Darcy watching with concern as she finished her own phone call. He concentrated on her as he took a few calming breaths and an idle thought popped into his mind as he turned away again.

“You know, I don’t remember ever being in Canada,” he said calmly.

“If I didn’t know where I was, I’d think I was in Germany, or Switzerland,” Steve replied softly. “It’s just mountains, snow, and a Hydra base.”

“Did you find anything else?” Bucky asked.

“Not really,” Steve admitted. “The usual stuff mostly, but it’s looking more and more like it’s a lot bigger than we originally thought, and it’s entirely possible that it’s not Hydra that’s been here most recently either.”

“Jesus...” Bucky ran a hand over his face, not surprised to find that it was damp. “I wanna see it. I’m coming up there.”

“We figured you would,” Steve affirmed. “I’ll send you the coordinates.”

“Thanks. I’ll see you soon.” Bucky ended the call, and turned back around to see Darcy still watching him.

“Are you okay?” she asked, and then waited patiently while he gathered and ordered his suddenly chaotic thoughts.

“They found a chair,” he said eventually.

“Oh,” she said, wide eyed. “How are you feeling about that? Or is it too soon to ask? You want me to leave you alone for a bit?”

Bucky reflected for a moment. “No, but thanks for asking. It’s just – unexpected. We thought we’d gotten them all.” He pulled her down into his lap as she wrapped her arms around him.

“How many were there?” she asked quietly after a few minutes.

“Too many.  There was one permanently installed in every major base, and then they had at least two that they could move around with me,” he said dispassionately. “The actual chairs were sturdy, but some of the other... components... were more delicate, and liable to damage. Especially once everything was set up properly. They didn’t like to transport them too far once everything was all connected, in case they broke.”

“Well, I hope they broke lots of them before they figured that out,” she said fiercely, and he couldn’t help breaking a smile as he hugged her closer.

“So you’re gonna go up there, huh?” she continued.

“Yeah. I – I need to see it, need to be the one to destroy it,” he answered firmly.

“Oh, Bucky,” she sighed as she tightened her embrace, leaning her cheek against the top of his head. “I want to come, too,” she said as she drew away. “I want to have a look at the computers Nat saw.”

“No,” he said, with a sharp shake of his head. “I don’t want you anywhere near that place.”

She almost fell out of his lap as he stood up suddenly, but he caught her before she could land on the floor.

“Excuse me?” she said indignantly. “It’s part of my job – you can’t stop me from going. Jane’s already planning to go there with Thor to join the others, and she’ll be expecting me to meet her there.”

“If Jane’s going with Thor, then you don’t need to go,” Bucky said firmly, stepping towards the door as he slid his phone into his pocket. “Anyway, you don’t even know if there’s anything left to look at. It would probably just be a waste of your time.”

“Um, hello! Jane’s my boss – not you. It’s not up to you if I go or not,” Darcy insisted.

“Darcy, the place isn’t even fully cleared yet. Steve said it’s got a lot of hidden sections they haven’t found yet. Anything could happen.”

“I have every confidence that the section Jane and I are interested in will be cleared properly,” Darcy replied firmly. “It’s not like I haven’t been in a lab explosion before, you know.”

“That’s not relevant,” he insisted.

“Bullshit! It’s extremely relevant,” she snapped back.

“Darcy – I don’t want you tainted by anything that Hydra had a hand in!” he blurted out. She sighed and gave him a pointed look.

“It’s a bit late for that, Bucky,” she said sadly. “Anyway, there are worse things than Hydra out there – I know, because I’ve seen them.” She paused for a moment as she studied him thoughtfully. “Besides – you didn’t turn out so bad – or do you want me to stay away from you, too?” she asked pointedly.

“No, that’s not what I meant—“ he protested.

“Really? Cos that’s kind of what it sounded like.”

“No. That’s not what I want at all. I’m sorry... It came out wrong,” he said as she moved towards him. “I just don’t want you anywhere near that – thing. That's all,” he finished softly as she wrapped her arms around his waist. “You’re right. It’s not my place to tell you where you can and can’t go.”

“Yeah, you got that right,” she agreed with a firm nod, reaching up to pull his face down to hers, kissing him until he almost forgot what he was supposed to be doing.

“I think I might stay here instead,” she whispered once she’d finished with him. “I could probably use a few more hours sleep. You know, in a bed.”

“And there it is,” he laughed. “The real reason you’d rather stay here.”

“Hey, the lure of my bed is strong and mighty! Although, it would be stronger and mightier if you were going to be in it as well.”

“I know where I’d rather be,” he smiled. “I should probably go and get ready. I’ll check in with Jane for you when I get there, okay?”

She nodded. “Thank you. I’d appreciate that. Say... Are you gonna go like that or are you gonna change?” she asked with a waggle of her eyebrows.

“Depends on what you think I should be changing into, I guess,” he replied, taking her hand and pulling her along with him as he headed for the locker room.

“Your Winter Soldier suit, of course. I do have a rather exclusive club to join,” she hinted, with no subtlety whatsoever.  

“Hmm, okay, sounds doable. Just one thing though...”

“What?”

“Can you wait to do it in front of Steve?” he asked.

She clapped a hand over her mouth to muffle the laughter that was bubbling out. 

“Yes, yes!” she declared. “I can totally do that. Oh I can’t wait!”

 

Half an hour later, he was suited up and getting ready to board a jet. Darcy hovered nearby, insisting that she at least see him off properly if she wasn’t coming with him.

“Give the chair a good smash for me,” she told him. “And be careful, okay? You only left medical yesterday morning. Helen would probably have a fit if she knew you were going off to commit violence, even if it is only against a stupid chair.”

“I’ll be careful,” he promised. Keeping in mind their plan to torment Steve, he dropped a swift kiss on the top of her head before boarding the jet, her pale face the last thing he saw as he closed the rear door.

 

The small jet he used wasn’t quite as fast as the larger ones the Avengers usually used, but he still arrived at his destination in under two hours. He followed the beacon that Nat had set up, landing carefully in a large hangar that he would have had no chance of finding at all without the guidance or prior knowledge of its location. The jet that Jane, Thor, Scott and Wanda had taken to Winnipeg was already there, and Steve and Natasha were waiting to greet him as he disembarked.

“I see what you mean about this place looking like Switzerland,” he commented to Steve as the pair guided him straight to where they’d found the chair. “It’s like stepping into another bad memory.”

“Sorry to do this to you, Buck,” Steve offered.

“Not your fault, Steve,” he reassured his friend. “So did Vision catch up with the jet you saw leave earlier?”

Steve shook his head as Natasha answered.

“He lost him in the mountains. The pilot was obviously very familiar with the area, and extremely skilled at evasive flying in this terrain.”

“Well, that’s a disappointment,” Bucky huffed.

“Very,” Nat agreed. “Jane wasn’t very impressed, especially after she and Domino saw the mess in the workshop.”

“Domino?” Bucky asked.

“Our young hacking protégé,” Steve said. “Won’t give anyone her real name yet. She’s a fast learner too. I hate to say it, but I think she’ll give even Nat a run for her money.”

“I’m a spy first, not a hacker,” Natasha said mildly.

“So the computer room you found?” Bucky asked. “Anything useful in it?”

“Nothing salvageable,” Natasha said. “As far as I can tell, they had explosives rigged to every machine in the room. I’m thinking that they probably had the whole lot linked to a timer, and set to blow to help cover their escape.”

“So they blew up all of their computers and a wormhole generator just to cover their escape?” Bucky wondered.

“And to prevent it all from falling into enemy hands,” Natasha finished.

“So it’s another dead end then,” Bucky stated.

“Yep,” Steve confirmed. “We’ve found no evidence of recent Hydra activity, but then again, there’s no evidence that it was any other organisation or individual, either. We’ve got nothing.”

Bucky didn’t get the chance to add anything else to the conversation as Natasha pushed open a door and led them into a large room that was almost the identical to the one in Siberia. He had to stop for a moment to catch his breath as the shock - and the memories - hit him hard.

“Buck? You okay?” Steve’s voice seemed to be coming at him as though he was underwater. He gave his head a quick shake and suddenly everything was normal again.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m good. Just a little shock, that’s all.” He looked around the room quickly. “This place could be Siberia. They could have kept me here for years and I wouldn’t have known any different.”

“There are differences,” Nat said quietly, “but they’re very subtle.”

Bucky took another look at the room. They were on an upper level balcony, looking directly down on the center circle where the chair lurked in the gloom.  He suppressed a shudder, and made himself walk towards the stairs, descending calmly down the steps. Nat and Steve followed him quietly, hanging back to give him breathing room.

He walked around the outer perimeter once, and then slowly approached the chair. No matter how many of these he’d already destroyed, it still gave him the heebie jeebies just looking at the damn thing. This one clearly hadn’t been used for years, however, rust eating away at the more delicate components, creeping up the base and sides of the frame. There were no cables or cords connecting it to anything and, as he got closer and closer to it, the shadows seemed to retreat until it was just a hunk of useless metal, with no power over him at all.

All the bad feelings just dropped away as he studied the wreck that the chair had become. “Look at it - a useless hunk of rusty scrap,” he said quietly. “Probably hasn’t been used for years – decades, even.”

“Here. Thought you might want to use this, anyway.” Natasha handed him a large, heavy sledgehammer. He hefted it a couple of times, sent a grin of thanks in her direction, and swung.

 

After the chair was reduced to twisted, rusty shards, Steve and Nat took him to where the computer system and copycat wormhole generator had been set up. The room was covered in soot and scorch marks, with melted and twisted components scattered throughout the room. Jane and the hacker, Domino, were combing through the debris scattered over the floor of the tiny room, looking for who knew what.

“Any luck?” Steve asked as they looked in from the doorway.

Jane stood up and stretched. “Nothing useful yet,” she said. “I mean, there’s a few bits and pieces that look very similar to the components in my machine, but Domino thinks any hard drives were either taken with them, or destroyed completely by the blast.”

“Need any help?” Bucky offered.

Jane shook her head as she brushed hair out of her face. “Thanks, but there isn’t really enough room in here for anyone else. I wish I had Stark’s A.I. glasses, though. Friday could probably scan this room for evidence in 30 seconds flat.” She sighed.

“Stark does have some fun toys,” Bucky agreed. “We’ll leave you to it then, I guess.”

“I don’t think it’ll take as long to check as I originally thought though,” Jane said as she looked around. “There’s nothing here, really.”

Bucky nodded idly as he looked around the room again. It was only slightly smaller than the lab workshop that Jane and Darcy occupied back at the base, and the diminutive scientist had marked out a search grid. They were about one third finished, and making good progress.

"So seeing as you're here, do you want to help us finish searching the place?" Natasha asked as he drew back from the door.

"Sure, why not?" he agreed.

They ended up staying for another two days as Jane continued the analysis of her room, and the rest of the team explored the abandoned facility from top to bottom. They found little of interest, as it looked to have been thoroughly cleaned out when it fell into disuse. They did find evidence of recent occupation by no more than half a dozen people in more hidden rooms between the secret hangar and the computer rooms, but nothing to reveal who they'd been.

Before they left, they rigged the entire complex with surveillance devices on the off chance that anyone came back, and then it was time to go home.

 

It was late afternoon when they returned. Jane, Thor and Domino left first with Wanda and Vision. Clint, Scott, and Sam returned in their own jet, and Bucky easily convinced Steve and Nat to make the return flight with him.

Steve was last off the jet as usual, but when he finally stepped off the ramp it was to quite an unexpected sight.

Bucky had his arms full of Darcy Lewis and as Steve watched in surprise, she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and her legs around his waist as she kissed him enthusiastically. 

“What the hell?” slipped out of his mouth and the couple pulled apart with a vague air of guilt, Darcy loosening her grip and sliding down to place her feet back on the ground.

“Um. Hey, Cap,” she said nervously.

“What’s going on?” Steve asked, trying to catch Bucky’s eye, who was carefully looking everywhere except at Steve. He shifted his gaze to see Darcy looking at him guiltily. She bit her bottom lip nervously as she backed into Bucky before taking a deep breath and stepping forward again.

“Look, I’m really sorry. I really, really am – and this isn’t how I’d planned this,” she said, wringing her hands together, “but... but I’m breaking up with you.”

Steve’s jaw dropped in shock – that was not what he’d expected to hear her say – and he couldn’t help the surprised and confused “What?” that slipped from his tongue.

Darcy stepped closer until she almost had her chest pressed up against his torso. He tried to move away but Nat was right behind him, blocking his escape. He held himself in rigid shock , unable to move as Darcy placed a hand on his chest and kept talking.

“Look I know it seemed like something was developing between us, and trust me – I will always treasure the memory of all those kisses, but...” she trailed off for a moment as she half turned back to Bucky, “but it turns out that there’s someone else.”

While he was still trying to process what was happening she rose up on tiptoe, pulling him down to meet her as she kissed his cheek, and then turned away from him, going back towards Bucky who hadn’t looked at Steve since Darcy stopped kissing him. He looked at Bucky in confusion, but his friend was still avoiding his gaze. Darcy grabbed Bucky’s hand and tugged gently.

Steve watched in fascinated confusion as Darcy led a not at all reluctant Bucky down the hall.

“What just happened?” he asked, dazed, as Natasha moved to stand beside him.

“I think Cap just got dumped in favour of the Winter Soldier,” she answered with a perfectly straight face.

“But...”

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about it too much,” Nat said as she smirked at him. “I’m sure you’ll get over it quickly enough.”

“Nat, you know it was never me!”

“I do,” she agreed.

“Nat – he obviously hasn’t told her yet,” Steve insisted.

“Are you sure about that?” Nat shrugged. “And does it really matter any more? They’ve obviously come to some sort of understanding,” she said.

“Oh, I think it matters Nat. How do you think she’s going to react when she finds out he’s been lying to her?”

“He hasn’t been lying,” Nat said. “I don’t recall any point where she’s explicitly asked or assumed who was in the suit.”

“A lie by omission is still a lie.”

“You do know this is partially your fault, don’t you?” Nat pointed out as she moved towards the women’s locker room. “If you had warned him when you agreed to let him take your place, then you probably wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“He’s the one in the mess, Nat. He's the one who—“ he stopped. Dammit - he still didn’t think he was in the mess but Natasha did have a point. He groaned. Nat paused and turned back towards him with a soft expression on her face.

“Has it occurred to you that he might be finding it difficult to tell her because he’s in love with her?”

“I think that’s a bit farfetched,” Steve replied confidently. Bucky fallen in love with Darcy? In only a month?

“Then you’re a bigger fool than he is. Go clean up,” Nat called back. “We’ll discuss it later.”

Steve sighed and looked back up the empty hall. He felt a sudden pang of guilt as the feeling that everything was about to go very wrong settled into his brain.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My Tumblr, if you're interested, is [ibelieveinturtles](http://ibelieveinturtles.tumblr.com/)


	16. You Catch More Flies With Honey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Steve gets the truth, and Tony makes a discovery that’s he’s really not impressed with. Oh, and more kissing!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is brought to you by the school holidays and Easter! As well as a massive rewrite, but not much tv… I did however score a three month free trial for a music stream, so I’ve been listening to a lot of electro swing - it’s so happy!!!!
> 
> Huge thanks to [Chrisshr](http://archiveofourown.org/users/ChrissiHR/pseuds/ChrissiHR) for her beta magic, and I’d also like everyone to say hi to my new beta, [kittykitty-mewmeww](https://kittykitty-mewmeww.tumblr.com/), who’s hitched her wagon to my train and offered to help out. 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy, and I’m tentatively saying only 2 or 3 more chapters... (including an epilogue)

 

 

Steve tried very hard to suppress his uneasy feelings as he made his way towards the locker room. He’d managed to successfully put all of the blame for the current situation onto Bucky since he’d returned from his holiday, and Nat’s reminder that he was the one who’d neglected to inform Bucky about Darcy and The Dare put at least half of the blame squarely back on his shoulders. 

He opened the door to the locker room, so deep in thought that he almost failed to hear the noises coming from the next row of lockers. The only warning he got was a breathy laugh and a low murmur as he walked around the corner to find the two people he’d just been thinking about, locked in a passionate embrace. 

Bucky was naked from the waist up, the top half of his suit discarded on the floor. He had Darcy pushed up against the lockers, his hands under the front of her shirt. She had one hand splayed across his back and the other twisted in Bucky’s hair. Steve watched in frozen silence as Bucky’s hand shifted under Darcy’s top and she moaned into his mouth. The sound brought him out of his daze, but instead of backing out quietly, he ran right into the line of lockers behind him. They broke apart at the sudden noise, and two pairs of blue eyes fixed themselves on him.

“Sorry. I uh, I didn’t mean to disturb you,” he apologised. He turned around to leave, but a hand caught at his elbow.

“It’s okay Steve, I have to go anyway,” Darcy said. “I left Jane by herself in the lab, so if I don’t hurry, we could have a portal to another dimension opening up in the middle of the lake, and I think we have enough problems right now? Enjoy your chat.” She turned around to give Bucky another quick kiss, and then with a little wave, left.

He didn’t realise he was still staring blankly at where she’d disappeared around the corner, until Bucky coughed behind him.

“Something you wanna say, Steve?” 

Steve ducked his head, looking at Bucky sideways. 

“Well, Nat hasn’t said so explicitly, and I’m pretty sure she thinks it’s none of my business… but… I just don’t wanna see anyone get hurt,” Steve replied honestly.

“Do you think it might have helped if you’d remembered to tell me about a girl that had been dared to kiss Captain America?” Bucky asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“You know about that?” Steve stared at Bucky in surprise. “I mean, I’m sorry. I forgot about it; I should have remembered, told you about it before I left.”

“How the hell do you forget something like that, Steve?” Bucky said, picking his suit top up off the floor and tossing it into the laundry chute. “I mean, someone dares a girl to try and kiss Captain America, and you  **knew** about it, but it somehow slipped your mind when I offered to take over for a while?”

“It did. I completely overlooked it.” Steve offered, looking away briefly, embarrassed at the admission. “Forgive me?”

Bucky stared at him for a moment, then laughed. “Well, I suppose you are almost a hundred – gotta make allowances for half-senile old men... I suppose.”

“Thanks, Buck,” Steve said dryly. “That’s very magnanimous of you. So, uh – how’d you find out?” 

“How do you think I found out?” Bucky challenged him.

Steve took a deep breath, rubbed at his weary eyes, dropped his shoulders, and returned Bucky’s look. “I guess Darcy told you?”

“Yep. Right after I told her I’d been wearing your suit.”

It took a moment for Bucky’s words to penetrate Steve’s brain properly, and then his jaw dropped. “She knows? She’s not mad at you?”

“She’d already figured it out for herself,” Bucky said as he turned to grab a towel off the rack. “Nat warned me she was smart, only she’d figured it out even before Nat got a chance to say anything to me.”

“And she never said anything?” Steve wondered.

“Yeah... Actually, I’m still not entirely sure why she didn’t tell me she knew,” Bucky said. “But I think it might be because she genuinely likes me, and maybe thought she just needed to wait me out. I dunno.”

Steve smiled. “Really? You  **think** she likes you? I’d never have guessed.”

“Yeah, well, you always were a bit stupid,” Bucky shot back. “Now, are we having showers or are we gonna go to dinner smelling like Jersey?”

Steve leaned towards Bucky, and wrinkled his nose up as he sniffed loudly. “Shower. I definitely think you should shower - you stink.”

“I'm guessing you haven't gotten a whiff of yourself lately then,” Bucky muttered as he stalked into the nearest shower stall.

Steve grinned to himself as he stripped down and turned on the water.  His outlook for the rest of the day was suddenly looking much brighter. 

  
  


When Bucky walked into the cafeteria, most of his team was already there. Jane and Darcy were eating, with Wanda and Natasha just joining them, while Sam and Scott were several places ahead of him in the line. Steve had mentioned needing to talk to Maria Hill before joining them and as he looked around, he was reminded of the day the astrophysicist and her assistant first arrived at the compound, and he marvelled at how much had changed since then.

A little more than a month ago he would have found a seat by himself or just with Steve and Sam, avoided making conversation, eaten, and left as quickly as he could. Now, however, he joined the large group at the table, sitting between Sam and Darcy, and enjoyed the company and conversation.

“Where’s Steve?” Sam asked, leaning in and speaking quietly so as not to disturb anyone else as the conversation carried on around them.

“Said something about needing to see Hill,” Bucky replied. “He shouldn't be too long though.”

The light chatter continued as everyone ate, discussions wandering through a range of topics until someone asked Jane what she was going to do, now that the hijackers duplicate generator had been destroyed.

“Well, we recovered more bits and pieces from the debris than I expected,” she replied. “Darcy and I are going to start looking through it in the morning, to see if we can find anything useful.”

“Need any help?” Scott asked.

Jane and Darcy looked at each other. Even though Scott wasn’t familiar with the wormhole generator, his experience as an engineer could very well turn out to be useful to them.

“Definitely.” Darcy nodded enthusiastically. “The more, the merrier. Anyone who wants to compare burnt, twisted or melted chunks of metal, with other bits of burnt, twisted and melted bits of metal, are welcome to join us. We'll be there early, so any time you’re available, you're welcome to drop by.”

Bucky was pleased to see the nods of commitment from everyone present. After all the running around they’d been doing because of this mess, Jane and Darcy would probably end up with more help than they needed.

As he pulled a piece of chocolate cake towards him, he noticed Steve enter the cafeteria and join the end of the line. He gave Sam a nudge.

“Steve’s here,” he said.

“Mm, that reminds me,” Darcy said abruptly, turning away from the conversation she was having with Natasha. “I heard that you’ve been incredibly pathetic on friend duties, Sam.” She grinned, a mischievous glint in her eye.

“Who, me?” Sam said, with a look that was both confused and fake innocent at the same time.

“Yes, you, Sam Wilson,  **and** the rest of you as well. How come not a single one of you, has introduced Bucky to the magic of Harry Potter yet?” Darcy demanded, the undertone of offended ‘how even could you?’ colouring the question.

The gathered Avengers swapped surprised looks.

“You don’t know Harry Potter?” Scott asked.

“Nope. Never heard of it before Darcy mentioned it,” Bucky replied. “Apparently, I have terrible friends.”

“Actually, I believe the exact word I used was ‘useless’,” Darcy corrected him. “Your friends are useless. Fortunately, you’ve got me now.” She stood up and started stacking dirty dishes. “So, in light of the fact that a) it’s still early, and b) I’ve locked down the lab so that Jane can have a decent night’s sleep, I’m going to the common room, and I’m going to get the first Harry Potter movie ready to go. I know some of you have other things you need to do, but anyone who wants to join us is welcome. We’ll probably be done by ten.”

“Here, I’ll take those.” Bucky grabbed the stack of dishes and loaded them onto the nearby trolley, returning to the table just in time to hear her repeating the invitation to Steve as he joined the table.

“Sounds like fun,” Steve said. “It’s been awhile since we all had an evening in together.”

“Exactly!” Darcy said happily. “It’s just a shame I haven’t had a chance to sort through the photos from the hospital visit yet. Otherwise, we could’ve had a look at them, but Harry Potter is an excellent alternative. So, what, half an hour?”

A chorus of agreement rose from the table. Bucky felt a bubble of happiness well up in his chest as Darcy slid her hand into his and led him towards the door.

As they left he heard Sam ask, “Whoa, is that what I think it is?” and Nat’s reply of “Why? What do you think it is?” and realised that his love life was about to become the main topic of gossip for the foreseeable future.

  
  


Bucky sighed in contentment as he sank back into the couch with Darcy in his lap. The movie was over and everyone else had left, giving them an opportunity to cuddle up closer for a little while.

“What time will you be in the lab tomorrow? Bucky asked, instinctively keeping his voice low in the quiet of the empty room. Darcy reclined into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her shoulder. 

“Early,” she said. “I mean, if Thor wasn’t here, Jane would be down there already, so if she’s not there by six, I’ll be surprised.”

“You should probably go get some sleep then,” he said, pressing light kisses along her neck and shoulder.

“But I’m comfortable, and this is so nice,” she sighed contentedly, tipping her head slightly so she could look at him properly. “Also, I haven’t had a chance to ask yet; how did your chat with Steve go?”

Bucky laughed softly. “It went well - he says he forgot about your dare, that’s why he didn’t tell me.”

“Do you believe him?”

“Steve may be a brilliant strategist on the field, and capable of spinning as tall a tale as you could ask for where a superior officer or authority figure is concerned, but he’s shit at lying about personal stuff,” Bucky said. “So yeah, I believe him.”

“Good,” said Darcy as she raised a hand to cup the back of his neck. “I'm glad to hear that,” she continued, turning her head until their mouths met, soft lips brushing gently across his before developing into gentle nibbles that tasted like the popcorn and candy she'd been eating. He ran a hand up her other arm, caressing the smooth skin as he brushed his fingertips across her collarbone and throat. Warmth spread through his body as the kiss deepened, and everything else melted away until he was aware of nothing but her lips, her hands, and the warmth of her body pressed against his. 

"So how long until you get that private room you told me about?” Bucky asked when they finally separated, and she huffed a little laugh.

“A few more days I think,” she replied. “It's been pushed back a little because of Jane not being here, but I'll make time to check in again tomorrow sometime.”

“I’m kind of really looking forward to it,” he said, still caressing the soft skin of her throat.

“Me too.”

“Come on, I’ll walk you home.”

 

 

In the morning he went down to the labs straight after his early workout, detouring through the cafeteria for food and coffee supplies.

All the debris had been carefully packed into labelled crates before being transferred to the facility and they were now stacked along one wall of an unused conference room, waiting to be carefully unpacked onto sturdy tables. Darcy was in the middle of attaching posters to the wall all by herself when he arrived with breakfast, after being redirected by Jane.

“What’s that?” he asked, as he found an empty spot for the food and coffee.

“Ooh, is one of those for me?” Darcy asked, turning around eagerly as she spotted the cups.

“Of course,” he replied with a smile. “I also brought fruit and some pastries.”

“Mmm, you’re my hero,” she declared, kissing him firmly on the lips as he handed her one of the cups.

“Well, I’m trying,” he replied. “So, wanna explain all of this for me?” he asked, nodding towards the walls. She took a sip from her cup as she turned to face the wall.

“Okay, so, what I have here are pictures of critical components of the wormhole machine. Most of the bits and pieces are things that Jane’s made or adapted herself, which is why we need pictures – it’ll probably be the only way for anyone who isn’t me or Jane, to identify them.”

She paused to take another mouthful of coffee, and then shuffled along to stand in front of some photos that looked more like they were out of a catalogue.

“There’s also some Stark manufactured components, but at least they’re all stamped with the SI logo. What we need to do is try and match the pieces we collected in Canada to the pictures of the pieces that Jane made, separate the ones from SI, and then try to identify anything that doesn’t match,” Darcy explained before taking another large mouthful of her cooling coffee.

“Sounds like it could take a while,” Bucky observed.

“Yeah, which is why I called Tony this morning and asked him if he could bring us the A.I. tech we asked him for,” she said as she drained her cup.

“What?” 

“Huh? Oh, that’s right – I didn’t get around to telling you about that, did I?” she realised, a mischievous smile twitching at her lips. “Have I got a story for you!”

“I’ve lost track of what we have and haven’t managed to talk about over the last few days,” Bucky admitted. “It’s been ... hectic.”

“And full of ridiculous interruptions,” Darcy agreed. She hoisted herself up to sit on one of the tables. “So, I told you that Jane and I negotiated a new contract with Tony, right? Well, one of the things we asked for was access to his A.I. technology, because really - we would never have figured out what was going on without his help. By the way – you ever tell him that, I will kill you.”

“My lips are sealed,” Bucky promised as he leaned against the wall and sipped at his own coffee.

“Right, so, we’re getting our own A.I. tech, permanent residential status here at the compound, and a permanent lab. We also get access to anything we need from the Tower and Tony also offered to build an R&D facility – with an observatory – in a location of Jane’s choosing.” 

“You got all of that out of Tony?” Bucky asked, eyes widening in surprise.

“That’s just the beginning, my friend – there’s more!” she said with an excited bounce. “He’s agreed to fund an entire department for Jane’s research. She’s technically in charge, but I’ll be the chief administrator. We get to choose all our own staff  **and** we’re also going to get our very own super awesome giant air bus thingy, like the one that New Shield has, but no one’s supposed to know about.”

“What?” 

“It’s gonna be so awesome, Bucky! And the piece de résistance? Jane keeps all of her research, lock, stock, and barrel. Tony will get first option on any commercial opportunities, with royalties, proceeds, bonuses etc. etc. to be negotiated on each individual project. He did guarantee that ten percent of any profit, from anything, goes to STEM scholarships for women. No matter what.” She finished with a triumphant look on her face.

“I’m incredibly impressed right now,” he said with an awed shake of his head.

Darcy nodded. “Jane is an incredible negotiator. You should see her in action; she’s a demon. All I do is offer suggestions and keep her from getting sidetracked.”

“Okay, that bit surprises me a little,” Bucky said. “For some reason, I thought you’d be more involved in the negotiating.”

“That’s because I talk so much and Jane doesn’t.  Well, not when she’s working, anyway. She’s been doing this for years; because she’s a woman, she has to talk twice as fast and twice as much to get what she needs, and she’s figured out all the ways to get people to agree to the majority of her demands.”

“I never thought of that,” Bucky conceded.

“You wanna know the best bit, though? She’s never actually bargained with Tony before, and he’s not like the rest.”

“In what way?” he asked, curiosity piqued.

“Tony said ‘yes’ to everything. And when I say everything – that’s how we got the airborne research lab. She always asks for something completely ridiculous, so that people are more likely to agree to what she actually needs.”

“But Tony was so eager to have Jane as part of his empire that he was willing to agree with anything she asked for,” Bucky concluded.

“Exactly!” She reached out for him, and he had to put his forgotten coffee down before he could take the hands she was holding out and allow himself to be dragged closer.

“So, almost everything Jane’s ever wanted is all wrapped up in a neat little package. All we need to do now is sort out this mess and figure out what the hell is going on here.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed. He returned the gesture, breathing in the scent of her hair, and enjoying the feel of her body against his, when he became aware of a pair of footsteps approaching in the corridor. He ignored them, hoping they would go past, but a moment later they stopped.

There was a noise from the doorway. 

“I thought we were supposed to be doing some work? Should Steve and I go away? Come back later, maybe?” Tony demanded with a half hidden grin as Bucky separated from Darcy.

“Geez, Tony. You really know how to ruin a moment,” Darcy grumbled. “I wasn’t expecting you so soon. We were just starting to unpack, actually.”

“That’s what you kids call unpacking these days?” Tony queried with a raised eyebrow as he peered into a box. “How long has this been going on?” he asked as he turned and waved a hand in their direction. “Why wasn’t I told?”

“Tony-“ Steve started, but Darcy cut him off as she gently pushed Bucky to the side and hopped off the table she was sitting on.

“Well, first, I didn’t think this was the kind of thing you tell a person over the phone,” Darcy drawled, “and second, why is it any of your business anyway? You’re not my dad, or my brother, or my uncle. You’re not even my boss.”

“Ouch. You don’t pull your punches, do you, Lewis? I thought we were at least friends.” Tony pouted as he peered curiously into a box, pulled out a piece of debris, inspected it carefully, then replaced it and drew out another.

“Hey, be careful there, Tony.” Darcy reached over to check the box’s label. “Just don’t mix anything up, okay?”

“Lewis! You wound me again,” Tony declared. “So, what do you want us to do?”

Bucky couldn’t make out what she mumbled incoherently under her breath, but was positive that it wasn’t flattering to Stark.

“Choose a crate, write your name next to the number on this sheet here, then unpack it carefully onto a table,” Darcy instructed the trio.

“And what’s the plan after that?” Tony asked.

“Compare the pieces we have in the boxes to the pictures I’ve put on the walls - see what matches and what doesn’t,” Darcy replied promptly.

“Then what?”

“Then we try and identify whatever we don’t immediately recognise.” 

Tony nodded. “That’s what you want Friday to help you with?”

“That, and maybe a virtual rebuild of the machine, using identified components from Canada, and comparing them against Jane’s blueprints.”

“Sounds like a good plan,” Tony agreed. “Shall we get on with it?”

It didn’t take long to get the first crates unpacked and spread out onto the tables, and it was fairly quiet as they all worked with only the odd murmured question and reply as they got on with the job. Jane joined them after a while and, not long after that, Tony developed a keen interest in something from his crate.

“Hey, Lewis, Foster – I think I’ve got something you might be interested in here.”

Bucky looked up from his own table as Jane and Darcy crowded in next to Tony.

“What is it?” Jane asked as she tried to see what Tony had found.

Tony picked up a small piece of metal, similar in appearance to a cog. “Have you ever used any Hammer Industries hardware?” he asked curiously.

“Are you kidding?” Jane replied in a scathing tone of voice. “I wouldn’t touch that second rate crap with a barge pole.”

“Well then,” Tony said, his brow wrinkling with worry, “whoever built the copy either doesn’t care about quality, or is in cahoots with Justin Hammer.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My Tumblr, if you're interested, is [ibelieveinturtles](http://ibelieveinturtles.tumblr.com/)


	17. Who Wants To Build A Wormhole Generator?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jane’s pissed off, Natasha wants answers, actually they all want answers, the plot thickens and Bucky comes home to a pleasant surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is brought to you by the finale of Riverdale, housework avoidance, job hunting and too much time spent on Tumblr.  
> Thanks to kittykitty-mewmeww for the beta.

 

 

The mere thought that someone had used Hammer technology to duplicate her machine had Jane ranting.

“The nerve! What kind of beetle-brained walnut thought that Justin Hammer could make anything that would stand up to the kind of stress a wormhole generator has to withstand? They’re lucky the damn thing didn’t blow up in their faces the first time they turned it on!” she declared as she paced back and forth, arms waving wildly as she vented her rage.

Bucky carefully moved some of the more delicate bits of debris out of the way of her flailing hands and then moved himself out of the way as well. 

“You know, it does kind of explain why the Winnipeg wormhole was so big,” Darcy commented as she took the cog from Tony and examined it. “They probably didn’t have anywhere near the kind of control that we do.”

“It’s a miracle they had  **any** kind of control,” Jane snapped back, pausing in her pacing to come and peer over Darcy’s shoulder. “Look at it! It’s got rust!”

Bucky found himself moving closer again in order to see what Jane was pointing at. He couldn’t see anything that even remotely looked like rust, but wisely decided to keep his mouth shut.

“Ah, excuse me?” Tony interjected. “I think there are more important questions to be asked, actually.” 

Everyone turned to look at him, various expressions of curiosity and confusion on their faces.

“Like what?” Bucky asked on everyone else’s behalf, even though he had quite a few questions of his own. He was curious to see if Stark’s questions were the same as his, or if the other man was thinking along different lines.

“Like, who would even be able to build a duplicate of Jane’s generator? I’ve seen the inside of that thing and even with Friday’s help I’d have trouble trying to recreate it,” Tony declared, arms thrown wide to emphasise his point. 

A huff of surprise escaped Bucky at the admission, and he couldn’t help smirking as Tony continued talking.

“I mean, I  **could** … eventually…  especially if I had blueprints to get me started,” he conceded after a glance at Bucky. “But! There is no way in hell Hammer could do it. Simply put, I am a genius, and he is not! So the question is – when, where, and how, did our piggy-backing saboteur get hold of the blueprints for it? Because they had to have had something to work from, right? And why do they want to build a wormhole generator in the first place?”

“Who wants to build a wormhole generator?” Natasha asked as she and Sam entered the room.

“That is what we need to find out,” Tony said, jabbing a finger in Nat’s direction. “All of this is useless if we don’t figure out who’s behind it all.”

“Well, won’t the Hammer bits and pieces have, like, part numbers or serial numbers on them somewhere?” Darcy asked, continuing her inspection of the little cog without looking up. “I know most of the SI components do, because  **I** am the one who has to keep track of them for reordering and stuff. Can’t we try tracking down whoever used them that way?”

Bucky watched as Tony thought this over, idly tapping a finger on his chin as his brow furrowed in concentration.

“Not all parts will have numbers on them – a lot of them are too small - but we can try,” Tony agreed, then suddenly spun on his heel, pointing at Darcy. “Say – is that bug still attached to Jane’s machine? Have you taken it off yet?”

“It’s still there,” Darcy said, glancing up and looking at him warily. “Why?”

“I want to take a closer look at it,” Tony replied. “It might hold more clues as to the identity of our mystery spy.”

Darcy nodded in agreement as she finally put the cog down. “I guess it’s served its purpose, right?” She glanced at Jane who bobbed her head in confirmation. “Cool. I guess we may as well take it off then.”

“Good,” Tony said. “Let’s go get it.”

“What – now?” Darcy asked, turning to look at Tony properly.

“No time like the present, Lewis! Come on.”

Tony headed for the door and Darcy followed, giving Bucky a shrug and a little eye roll as she passed him. He gave her a quick little smile in return.

“Hey! You’re not touching anything without me!” Jane called out, hurrying after them. She paused just outside the door and leaned back in. “Don’t stop,” she ordered, waving her hand at the laden tables. “We’ll be back soon.”

Sam looked after them, then with a shrug of his shoulders turned to Steve and Bucky.

“So. Anyone wanna explain exactly what we’re supposed to be doing here?”

Steve and Bucky explained the process for sorting and by the time Tony, Jane, and Darcy returned they’d managed to find three more pieces of unidentifiable debris that they thought might be Hammer tech.

Bucky hurriedly helped clear a table off so Tony could take a proper look at the strange little device they’d liberated from Jane’s machine, and then returned to his own work while Tony began his investigation. Everyone except Jane resumed the tedious task of picking through the wreckage.

Jane had been scrutinising the new fragments set aside for her to look at for several minutes when Bucky noticed Natasha leave her own table and join her.

“Does this all seem a little… off to you?” Natasha asked Jane as she picked up the largest bit of scrap and ran a curious eye over it.

“What do you mean?” Jane looked up, a slight frown of puzzlement on her face.

“Well, think about it. How would Justin Hammer know about an old Hydra base that’s been abandoned for who knows how long?”

“You think the Hammer connection is a red herring?” Steve asked from the other side of the table he was working at.

Natasha looked at him, a worried expression on her usually implacable face as she continued to fiddle with the bit of junk she was holding.

“I just think we should be careful not to focus too hard on just one thing.”

“The chances of anyone other than Hydra operatives knowing about that base is very small, I think,” Bucky agreed, looking up from his own task. “It’s not exactly the kind of place where someone’s just gonna stumble onto it by accident. Possible, but highly unlikely.”

“Exactly,” Natasha agreed. “I think we should still be looking for a Hydra connection.”

“Is there any reason why it couldn’t be both?”

They all turned to stare at Darcy, who continued on without looking up from her work. “I mean, I know Hammer has no known ties to Hydra, but that doesn't mean that none of his employees do. Don’t? Right?”

Bucky nodded along with the murmurs of agreement. She had a good point. 

She didn't stop or wait for anyone else's opinion but ploughed on. “So it could be someone who works for him. Or Hydra or whoever just ordered or stole their parts from them instead of Stark. There's no reason why Hammer would - or wouldn't - actually know about any of this. It could go either way! You know – just cos they got hold of his tech doesn’t mean he gave it to them. I mean, you know all about that, don’t you?” she asked Tony, and then shrugged and grinned apologetically. “Sorry.” Tony just patted her on the shoulder, and muttered a short, “Nevermind, Lewis.”

“That doesn’t mean he didn’t though,” Sam joined in.

“Well, I guess there’s only one way to find out,” Natasha said, standing up straight and holding up her bit of broken metal. “This piece  **does** have a number on it, so I’m going to go and see what it can tell me.”

After Natasha left, the rest of the morning passed with little interest. Tony was engrossed with the careful dismantling of the spy bug, muttering away to himself and Friday as he worked. Everyone else patiently continued sorting through the crates of wreckage, and the small collection of probably-Hammer-tech grew.

 

Natasha leaned back in her chair and considered what she’d found. She picked up the piece of Hammer tech that she’d brought with her and stared at it thoughtfully for a while. She’d found answers to some of her questions, but those had brought their own mysteries with them. After a few minutes of careful consideration, she got up and went to see if Jane and Darcy were still sorting through the scraps. Knowing them as well as she did, Natasha decided that they were probably well overdue for a break and it was almost past time for lunch anyway.

She paused at the door for a moment, watching everyone as they all stood with bent heads and keen concentration. Darcy and Bucky were working side by side, and Natasha smiled to herself. Sometimes her plans had unexpected outcomes.

“Knock, knock,” she said as she rapped on the doorway. “Who’s ready for lunch?”

There was a chorus of startled variations of ‘but it’s not lunchtime yet’, followed by the embarrassed mutters of people who had completely lost track of time. Everyone except Tony downed tools and stretched.

“Hey Tony! Tony! You too,” Darcy said as she waved a hand through his field of vision.

“What?” Tony looked up at the expectant faces peering at him. 

“Lunch, Tony,” Darcy said.

“Ah, no? Sorry. I’m actually meeting some people very soon.” He glanced down at his watch. “I have a delivery due any minute now. Some equipment for the labs.” He grinned at Darcy and Jane, giving them a conspiring wink. “In fact, you two should come by after lunch – I’m thinking the unused lab, two doors down from where you are at the moment. It’ll take a couple of weeks, but then you’ll be ready for anything.”

Natasha watched with amusement as Jane and Darcy exchanged a wild eyed look and turned on Tony.

“Wait, you’re starting the upgrades already?” Jane asked, her voice going squeaky with excitement.

“The sooner, the better, right? What, did you think I only came here to look at your lame garage sale?” Tony gave them a self satisfied smirk, waving them off. “Go. Eat. I’ll see you later!”

Natasha hung back as everyone filed out of the room. “Found anything yet?” she asked with a nod towards the dissected corpse of the electronic bug.

“Possibly,” Tony replied. “Whoever built this thing is very good at what they do.” He cast his eye over the innards spread across the table. “No Hammer tech here though,” he observed. “So far it’s mix of my tech, some Apple stuff,” - Nat hid a grin at the distaste in his tone of voice - “and homebuilt stuff. Like I said -  very good at what they do.”

She nodded. “Interesting. I’ll see you after then,” she said as she left.

In the cafeteria the rest of the team - including those that hadn’t yet visited the sorting room - had chosen a table that was well away from anyone else, and Jane was telling everyone about the lab upgrades that Tony was giving them, punctuating her story with Darcy style arm-waving. Once Jane finished her story, Natasha presented the team with her findings.

“The bits of debris we have are definitely courtesy of Hammer Industries,” she started. “I traced the serial number on the piece I had to a batch that was produced in 2014. This particular piece was sold to someone named Murray Pearl, in an order that included 43 other pieces of tech and hardware. I’ll print out a full list of the parts, as well as photos so we can I.D. them, after lunch.”

“Murray Pearl? Is that even a real person?” Darcy interjected. “Cos it sounds fake to me.”

“Not that I’ve discovered so far,” Natasha admitted. “Plenty of Pearl Murray’s, but no Murray Pearl. I’ll keep looking.”

“I...” Jane started, and then trailed off, head tipped to one side as she concentrated. “I feel like that should be familiar.”

“What?”

“I...I don’t know, but it’s ringing a bell. Someone talking about taking a vacation? Or a working holiday?” She trailed off again, staring thoughtfully into her bowl of soup.

“Well, it’s the only lead I have for now, so I’ll just keep looking,” Natasha replied.

“I just thought of something,” Darcy said suddenly, stabbing her fork into the air as she sat up straight. “What if Shield slash Hydra hired someone else to continue Jane’s work for them after she left? Even if it took them several months to find someone suitable, there was more than a year between us leaving Shield and everything that happened in London. Then, what? Another year before Shield collapsed in the whole ‘Heeey, guess what? We’re really Hydra, haha tricked you!’ debacle? They had more than enough time to put together a team of their own and keep working.”

There was silence as everyone worked this idea over in their heads. Natasha could feel a cold trickle of dread creeping down her spine as she realised this was something she should have thought of a lot sooner.

“Wouldn’t your lab have had restricted access?” Sam asked.

“There still would have been people other than Jane who had access,” Steve replied before Jane could say anything. “The lab manager, other scientists, security details, even some agents probably.”

“There was a whole floor of laboratories. There were about fifty people who had access. Anyone could have stolen or copied the blueprints at almost any time,” Jane said, blood draining from her face as she went still. “Darcy encrypted everything but...” she trailed off.

“Darcy’s encryption is excellent, but where Hydra is concerned I wouldn’t put any trust in even the best security measures,” Natasha said, carefully maintaining her standard expression of neutrality to hide her inner thoughts. The whole situation had just gone from bad to a major clusterfuck. “It may have taken some time, but it’s most likely that they not only had copies of all your work, but eventually managed to hack all of your files,” she continued. “I think maybe we’re getting closer. I’ll look into that angle next.”

The conversation diverged into smaller, individual conversations after that and Natasha took the opportunity to ask Jane a few questions. “So if Darcy’s right and Shield went looking for someone to take over your work for them, who do you think they might have recruited? Or tried to recruit?”

She waited patiently as Jane finished chewing the bread she’d just shoved into her mouth.

“Well, there’s always plenty of people working on the theoretical side,” Jane said, “but not so many trying to put it into practical application. I can give you dozens of names for theoretical astrophysicists.” Jane’s mouth twisted into a frown as something else occurred to her. “I thought I knew everyone who was doing practical research, including where every single one of them is, or has been, over the last five years. I suppose it’s possible there’s one or more that I don’t know about.  Regardless of that, I can’t think of a single person who would have dropped their own work for mine, unless it was to categorically disprove it. No one else believed in my work,” Jane finished.

“It wouldn’t necessarily have been someone who was also working on practicalities. I’d say it was more likely to be someone theoretical – maybe someone that you’ve worked with, or someone who has a grudge against you? Can you think of anyone who might fit that profile? Someone who maybe had similar theories, or did research that intersected with yours?” Natasha prompted.

“Well, I can give you a list of names. I know there’s lots of people looking into my research now that I’ve proven that it is a real thing, and does have practical application, but I can’t think of anyone who’d be as advanced as I am, or would have been doing it that long ago. There’s plenty of them who’d happily try to steal my work or at least some of the credit for it now, though.”

Natasha nodded. “Well, I’ll keep digging and see what I can find.” She looked up as movement in her peripheral vision caught her attention. Maria Hill was approaching their group. They nodded a greeting to each other as Maria addressed the group. 

“I realise that Dr. Foster’s work is important,” she began mildly, “but so is yours. I’m still waiting on reports from a few of you, and I will not be rescheduling this afternoon’s staff meeting for anyone. 1pm.”

She directed stern looks at a few people, and then left again. As soon as she was out of earshot Sam and Scott both swore.

Darcy raised her eyebrows at them. “Did you two skip out on some important work last night so you could watch Harry Potter with us?” she asked with an amused twitch of her lips.

“Mine’s mostly done,” Sam hedged, shuffling his dirty dishes together. “It just needs a couple of extra details.”

“I started it,” Scott said. “Then Cassy rang and I forgot about it.”

“I’ll help you finish it,” Steve said as he pushed his chair back and stood up. “I’ve still got a couple of things to add to mine as well.”

The three men gathered their things together and left.

“Well, looks like we’ll be down a few helpers this afternoon,” Darcy said, shoving her last bite of lunch into her mouth.

Jane shrugged. “That’s okay – we had so much help this morning that we’re way ahead of where I expected to be anyway.”

“Aren’t you meeting Tony after lunch?” Natasha reminded the two women as everyone else began to clean up after themselves.

“Oh, how could I forget?” Jane’s face lit up as she ignored Darcy’s mumbled “You’d forget the world was on fire if you had science to do,” in the background.

“Come on, Darcy – let’s go talk to Tony about our new lab!”

Natasha watched as the group broke up, everyone going their different ways for the afternoon. She hoped the meeting wouldn’t go too long, as she was anxious to follow up the new leads she had. Maybe she could convince Maria to let her leave early.

 

Bucky yawned. The meeting ended up going for a lot longer than anyone expected, running so late that Maria had requested dinner to be brought to them. It turned out that there were a lot of things to discuss after the discovery of the Canadian Hydra Base. He’d managed to exchange some text messages with Darcy throughout the afternoon as she kept him informed about her activities.

She and Jane spent a few hours discussing the setup for their new lab with Tony, going over all the details with a fine tooth comb. Darcy had cheerfully explained to him through a dozen or so text messages that Jane was both thrilled and annoyed with Tony’s many, many suggestions and extra ideas, but in the end the new laboratory would be a marvel of modern technology. Apparently, Jane was almost manic in her enthusiasm to have it finished before the work was even properly started. After their meeting they had then gone back to sorting rubble and he hadn’t heard from her since.

While Bucky struggled to stay awake during parts of the hours-long staff meeting, the bits where they discussed the newly discovered Hydra base and the possibility of a new or rogue Hydra cell being affiliated with Hammer Industries had everyone’s full attention. Natasha had explained Darcy’s theory to Maria, who had then happily agreed to let Nat leave the meeting early to continue her research. The rest of them had to suffer with very little respite, and by the time the meeting finished, everyone was exhausted.

As soon as he could, Bucky went looking for Darcy. He half expected her and Jane to still be sorting, but when he reached the room it was locked up securely. He checked his phone again but it was still as empty of new messages as it had been ten minutes ago. He tapped out a quick message and then decided to go shower while he waited for a reply. If there was still nothing by then, he’d assume they’d collapsed in an exhausted heap somewhere, and send himself to bed.

When he reached his suite, Steve was just exiting the bathroom.

“Wasn’t expecting you back yet,” Steve said with a cheeky smirk. “Thought you’d be helping out in the labs still.”

Bucky shook his head. “They’re not there. Darcy probably convinced Jane she needed more sleep after they ate,” he replied. “Figured I’d do the same thing.”

Steve nodded as he opened his bedroom door. “I’ll see you in the morning then. G’night, Buck.”

“Night, Steve.”

Bucky went straight into the shower, spending longer than he’d originally planned under the hot water. His toes were wrinkly by the time he dragged himself out. He dried himself off before wrapping the towel around his waist, brushed his teeth, and then made a beeline for his bed.

And there was Darcy.

Sprawled across his bed, fast asleep, hair spread across the pillow – mouth open slightly as she drooled onto the sheet. His heart skipped a beat and he smiled. He quietly pulled a pair of boxers out of his drawer, sliding them on before he slipped into the bed next to her, gently moving her over so he had room. He pulled her in close, carefully wrapping his arm around her waist and tucked her head underneath his chin as she stirred and sighed in her sleep.

He waited a moment, but she didn't wake - just settled comfortably against him as if she belonged there. He smoothed her hair away from his face, pressed a kiss to the top of her head and then gently drifted into sleep.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My Tumblr, if you're interested, is [ibelieveinturtles](http://ibelieveinturtles.tumblr.com/)


	18. An Amazing View Of The Lake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Bucky wakes up happy, gets some unexpected hugs and makes plans for the weekend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me way longer than it should have to get this written. Knowing where you want to go, and actually getting there, are two entirely different things. Fingers crossed that the next few chapters don’t need this much stress and effort!  
> Thanks as usual, to ChrissiHR for the beta.

 

 

It was still dark when Bucky woke up again. He was warm and comfortable, although he couldn't feel his right arm because, at some stage during the night, it had gotten stuck beneath the woman in his bed and had gone to sleep. The top of Darcy's head was still tucked under his chin and the only thing that stopped him from really enjoying his current position was his numb limb. He really needed to get it out from under her. With great care, he slid it out to freedom, then swore silently to himself as the pins and needles spread down his arm and through his fingers. It stung and tingled like hell as feeling returned.

Once his hand was back to normal, he snuggled back in, spooning her against him, his metal hand splayed out across her stomach. This was a moment to be treasured and enjoyed. It wasn't long until she stirred and spoke.

“Bucky?” she murmured in a soft, sleepy voice.

“Who else?” he chuckled under his breath.

“Santa?” she suggested, snuggling into him. Her body pressed into his as she turned her head and kissed the edge of his chin, the scent of her shampoo wafting across his face.

“Is that how you got in here?”

She gave a brief shake of her head as she rolled to face him, one hand sliding over his waist and coming to rest on his back. “Nope. The battery in my phone died so I decided to wait on your doorstep. Steve found me there and invited me in. I thought I fell asleep on your couch though, not in your bed.”

“Steve let you in?” Bucky asked, casting his mind back to the night before.

“Uhuh.”

“He never said a word when I got home,” Bucky said, idly tracing patterns on her skin with his fingers as he spoke. “Sneaky little shit.”

“I'm sorry, I just wanted to give Jane and Thor some privacy before he goes back to Asgard,” Darcy said apologetically. “I didn't mean to crash here uninvited.”

“Nah, it's okay. It was kind of nice, actually.”

“You sure?” Darcy propped herself up to look at him properly. “I don't usually sneak into people's beds uninvited.”

“Yeah, I'm sure. It - it was nice to come home to.” He smiled at her, brushing a hand across her cheek.

She smiled back, then leaned in and kissed him with enough pressure to set his pulse racing. Or maybe it had been racing all along and he just hadn't noticed. He wrapped his arms around her as he rolled onto his back and she shifted on top of him, lifting her head briefly as she adjusted her angle, brushing her mouth across his.

“So,” she said. “Should I make sure you have full access to my new room?”

He licked his lips and brushed her hair away from her face as he considered her words. “You okay with that? It's a big step and this is really new.”

She hummed at him, nodding her head as she rearranged herself. “Yeah, I am okay with that. I mean, this did kinda cross my mind when Jane and I asked for separate rooms.”

“But….you did that before I told you about me being Cap—”

She leaned in and kissed him again, one hand coming up to cradle his face gently.

“I already knew; remember?” Darcy reminded him as she pressed light kisses across his throat and collarbone. “And I was feeling optimistic. Now, are you gonna say thank you, or do I need to kiss you some more?”

“Well - you know how I feel about kissing,” Bucky teased, brushing his fingers lightly across her skin.

Darcy groaned and dropped her head to his shoulder. “I really didn't think that through; did I?”

“No, you didn’t,” Bucky agreed, “but I'm honoured that you're willing to let me into your life like that, so thank you.”

He felt her smile against his skin. “Knew you wouldn't turn me down,” she hummed. 

“You think I'm that much of a sure thing?” he asked, feigning insult as he continued stroking his hands down her back.

“Oh, no. Not at all.” She lifted her head to look at him, an innocent, ‘butter wouldn't melt’ look on her face. “I just think I'm that good at asking nicely.”

“Oh, you do, do you?” He grinned back at her, before surging up and rolling them both over, pinning her underneath him. She gave a short squeal, which cut off as he leaned down and kissed her hungrily. She moaned under him, squirming as he ran his hands along the sensitive skin at her waist.

Seconds later, there was a sharp knock on the door. 

“Breakfast is ready, Buck,” Steve called out, and they both went still. “And I made enough for Darcy, as well.”

Darcy's eyes flew open as Bucky levered himself up. “Oh my god. He can hear us—can't he?” she asked.

“Morning, Darcy!” Steve sing-songed as he walked away from the door and they groaned in tandem. Bucky rolled onto the bed next to Darcy, hand over his eyes as she started giggling.

He lifted the hand and peered at her.

“You think this is funny?” he asked.

She immediately stopped giggling and assumed a serious expression. “Not at all,” she declared. “Nothing funny about any of this.”

She held his gaze for another second or two, and then burst into laughter again. Bucky gave up.

Once breakfast was over, Darcy insisted that both men accompany her to see Thor off, who was finally returning to Asgard after the delay caused by the aftermath of the wormhole event.

After Tony had made some very loud complaints about lawn maintenance, a designated Bifrost landing site had been placed near the lake - far enough away not to disturb the general populace of the facility, but close enough that Darcy and Jane could get there in just a few minutes, even at a slow walk. To Bucky's surprise, there was a gazebo and a picnic table close by.

“Why is there a picnic ground right next Thor's landing pad?” he asked Darcy as they strolled hand in hand towards where Jane and Thor were talking to Sam, Tony, Nat and Scott. 

“No idea,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “Maybe it was here first? And Thor likes to look at the lake?”

“It is a nice view,” Bucky agreed, pausing for a moment to look out at the lake. “Maybe we should come down here for lunch one afternoon.”

“Hmm, I like that idea.” Darcy smiled up at him and he pulled her in closer, draping his arm across her shoulder. “We should definitely do that.”

“So what happens now?” he asked as they got closer.

“Well,” Darcy said. “Thor says goodbye to everyone, then he stands in the middle of the pattern and screams, ‘Heimdal! Open the Bifrost!’ Heimdal does his thing, and Thor gets whisked away in a big column of light.”

“So, it's like a portal of some kind?” Bucky asked.

“Darcy! James!” Thor's booming voice interrupted their conversation.

“Oops. Brace yourself.” Darcy barely had time to get out the warning before Thor swooped down on them, wrapping his arms about them both and squeezing hard.

“Trying to breathe here, Thor!” Darcy squeaked, patting one of Thor's arms as she grinned happily. “Gonna miss you, big guy.”

“I hope to return soon,” Thor said as he eased his grip. “My duties at home should not take long this time.”

Darcy let go of Bucky, reached up, and gave Thor a proper hug and a kiss on the cheek. “I'll look after Jane for you, just like always.”

“Indeed, she is in good hands, as are you,” Thor replied heartily. He released Darcy before turning to Bucky and engulfing him in another enthusiastic embrace, thumping him so hard on the back that Bucky almost lost his breath. 

“I am glad to have met you, my friend. I hope to see you again soon.” 

“Me, too,” Bucky gasped out as Thor released him, with a final friendly thump on his shoulder. “Looking forward to it.”

Thor smiled broadly, and Bucky watched as Steve, Sam, and Scott received similar embraces.

“You alright there?” Darcy tucked her arm around his elbow and leaned into him, a content smile playing across her lips as she enjoyed the spectacle. 

“Yeah. Yeah, I'm good.”

“I probably should have warned you, but honestly? Sometimes it's better to not have any expectations where Thor's concerned,” Darcy said. “Oh, here we go. Watch this.”

Having said all his other goodbyes, Thor gave Jane one last lingering kiss and then stepped into the center of the pattern scorched on the ground.

“Heimdal! Open the Bifrost!”

There was a blinding light and a whirlwind. Bucky blinked and when he opened his eyes again, Thor was gone.

There was a short period of the usual milling around that happens when everyone's reason for being somewhere suddenly disappears, and then everyone made their way back to the main building.

With the unusual diversion of Thor's departure out of the way, Bucky and Steve got on with their usual morning routine. They went running, attended a new recruit training session, and spent a couple of hours in the gym. Then, just as Bucky was expecting a couple of hours of downtime, Steve pulled the whole team into the practice room for their first comprehensive drills since Bucky officially joined the team.

Bucky was already familiar with many of the team's moves and strategies, and had often joined in to help them train, but he had never participated as a team member before. He was surprised at how different the experience was. He was  **not** surprised at the pace and intensity of Steve's commitment though. The man had always had a go-for-broke streak in him.

Bucky didn't see much of Darcy over the next several days. Between Steve's punishing training program, and the rabbit hole that was Jane and Darcy's work, neither of them had much time for themselves, let alone each other. The two women spent all that day and the next - and the day after that, and the one after that as well - finishing their sorting, working well into the small hours of the night. Darcy still enforced proper meal breaks, but they spent most of their waking hours eyeball deep in their project. She didn't show up in his room again and he suspected that neither she nor Jane were spending much time in their own apartment either, especially after the third time he discovered them napping on the floor or an empty table when they couldn't keep their eyes open any longer.

By the end of the following week, they'd not only finished all the sorting, but Tony had set Friday up in a temporary installation and was ready to put together a 3D model of the destroyed wormhole generator. He'd been called away on unexpected company business early Thursday afternoon, so unbeknownst to Bucky, Darcy and Jane found themselves at a loose end until Tony returned.

Considering the often hectic schedule of the Avengers, any weekend without a call out or scheduled mission was considered sacred. Support staff not on call often left base to visit family or just to take a weekend in the city, although Bucky had never taken advantage of the opportunity. Up until recently, he had preferred to stay away from crowds and public places, but he was starting to find the thought of getting away from everything for a day or two very appealing. Especially if he could convince a certain someone to come with him. An idea glimmered in the back of his mind.

He was getting ready to head for the showers after a particularly intense practice scenario when Darcy burst into the gym.

“Bucky, I've got the best news!” she sang out as she hurried over to him. “Look!” She held up a pair of security cards, her eyes twinkling with excitement. 

He raised a curious eyebrow, and then he realised what they were.

“You got your new room, at last?” he asked.

She nodded, vibrating with enthusiasm. “Maria brought them down for us about half an hour ago. We can have them semi-furnished if we want, but I was wondering if maybe you'd like to come shopping with me, help me pick out a few new bits and pieces for it? Plus, this means I can get some of my stuff out of storage, now that I have permanent digs.”

“I'd love to,” he said, matching her brilliant smile with one of his own. “What did you have in mind?”

“How about free accommodation at the Tower, plus shopping, dinner, and a movie?”

“Are you asking me on a date?” he asked, giving her a coy glance as he finished putting his things away. 

“Um, yeah, I suppose I am.” She tilted her head and her smile changed. “Wanna go out with me?” she asked with a slight fluttering of eyelashes.

“I'd love to,” he replied, and she flung her arms around his neck, planting a big kiss on his cheek. “I kinda need to clean up first, though.”

“Good plan,” she replied, wrinkling her nose slightly as she pulled away. “I'm gonna go pack, and I'll meet you in the common room in—what? About an hour?”

He nodded. “An hour sounds good,” he replied, cupping her cheek with a hand as he leaned in for another kiss. “I'm looking forward to it already.” He could feel her smiling against his lips as she kissed him back.

“You go shower,” she murmured softly. “We can do more of this later.”

“How much more?” he asked, chasing after her mouth as she tried to pull away again.

“Lots more! Go on. I'll see you soon.”

He watched with what was probably a goofy smile on his face as she skipped to the door, once again wondering how he'd gotten so lucky. He waited until she disappeared down the corridor, then turned and continued to the showers.

He was wallowing in the glorious heat of the water when Scott joined him.

“Man, I feel like I just got trampled by one of those monsters,” the other man groaned as he stumbled into the showers. 

Bucky smiled as he let the water run over his back. “Steve certainly doesn't hold back,” he said.

“Huh,” Scott replied. “You got that right.”

Reluctantly, Bucky turned the water off and reached for his towel. He was fairly sure that he'd used up half an hour just standing under the hot water. 

“Hey, I almost forgot—” Scott poked his head out of the cubicle, wiping soap off his face. “Romanoff was looking for you a little while ago.”

Bucky paused in the act of drying himself off. “Did she say what she wanted?”

“Something about Foster, and her machine,  and a possible lead. I dunno. I was half passed out on the gym floor at the time,” Scott admitted.

“Okay, thanks. I'll go see her before I leave, then.” Bucky finished drying himself off and pulled his clothes on. 

“You going somewhere?”

“Yeah, weekend in the city with Darcy,” Bucky said. It was a strange feeling to not only be making plans, but to be sharing them with a friend (who wasn't Steve).

“That’s awesome, dude. Have fun.”

“Thanks. I will. You have a good weekend, too.”

“I'm going to see Cassie. It’s gonna be great,” Scott enthused.

Bucky felt another smile spread over his face as he recalled Scott's adorable daughter. “Tell her I said hello,” Bucky said. “I've got the picture she gave me on my wall.”

“You have?” There was surprise in Scott's voice and his shower turned off.

“Yeah. I tried to convince Steve we should adopt the new colours but he wasn't too keen,” Bucky said, as he remembered Steve's reaction to his suggestion.

“Oh, man. That will really make her day,” Scott was shaking his head as he exited the cubicle, towel around his waist and water dripping everywhere. 

“It's a cute picture,” Bucky said. “Anyway, I better go see what Nat wanted. See you when you get back.”

“Yeah, I'll see you then,” Scott replied as Bucky left the change rooms.

It was lucky that Bucky checked his phone before returning to his room. There was a missed call and a text message, both from Natasha. The message simply asked him to please come to the lab at his earliest convenience, so he went straight there instead of going to pack for his weekend away. He arrived just as Natasha was showing some photos to Jane and Steve. There was no sign of Darcy.

“I’ve found a few candidates for our culprit,” Nat was saying as she took out her tablet. 

She turned it around so everyone could see the picture of a tall man with the beginnings of middle age spread, short grey hair, and a scruffy beard. He was wearing tweed.

“First possibility is Professor Gregory Harmon - he fit three of the search categories.”

“I did a class with him in my undergrad year,” Jane said. “And I helped on a research project of his between second and third year. I don't think he has the imagination to work on my theories, though.”

Nat nodded. “I didn't think so, either.” She swiped again. This time the photo was of a younger man and woman standing close together with what looked like some sort of celebration in the background. He was short and stocky, with short, dark brown hair, and a clean shaven jaw. She was slightly taller, with straight black hair, and obviously pregnant. They were both beaming at the camera, hands holding an award of some sort.

“Alice and Mervyn Price,” Jane said before Natasha could speak. “I don't believe it's them They've been doing a lot of research into the black holes at galactic centers. I think they just got a grant through Oxford, actually.”

Nat reached out and swiped to the next picture. This one was of a lone woman, similar in age to Jane, very pale, fairly short, a little on the scrawny side, and, apart from her shoulder length bleached white hair, most people probably wouldn’t give her a second glance. Except maybe to look at the hair.

Jane tipped her head curiously. “I don’t recognise her. Who is she?”

“This is Dr. Cora Roman, and she also hit three out of five of my search points, but she’s the only one who hit what I think is the most important thing, which is a connection to Shield.”

Jane sidled closer to the tablet for a better look. “She does look vaguely familiar, but I’d know if I’d ever seen that hair anywhere,” she said.

“I've got her on the top of my list,” Nat said. “I'm still looking into her history, but I found this in the archives.”

Nat swiped to another photo, which was of Dr. Roman with a Shield security team. In this photograph, her hair was short and purple.

“This is all I've got so far, but I wanted to keep you all informed and up to date.”

“Who's that?” Bucky zoomed in on a man standing behind and slightly to the side of Dr. Roman. He wasn't in Shield uniform and wasn't wearing any Shield ID either.

“No one I recognise,” Nat said, as she studied the man, “and I know - knew - most Shield agents.”

“Maybe he's with her, then,” Steve said. “An associate or assistant - like Darcy.”

Nat nodded. “I'll see what I can find out.” She glanced up at the clock. “Alright then. I'll let you all get on with your weekends. I'm going to bring Hill up to speed.”

“I'll come with you,” Jane said, following the other woman out of the room.

Bucky was right on their heels. He'd also looked at the clock, and now had less than fifteen minutes before he was supposed to meet Darcy, and he still needed to pack.

“Hey, Buck, wait up!” Steve called after him, half jogging to catch up. “What's the hurry?”

“Going into the city with Darcy for the weekend,” Bucky replied. 

“Sounds nice,” Steve said.

“Yeah, and I'm running late, so if you don't mind—”

“Can I help?” Steve asked as they reached their apartment.

“Thanks, but I'm good.”

He went straight to his room, threw some clothes into a bag and made it to the common room with barely a minute to spare.

Darcy was already there, a small suitcase and a large tote bag sitting neatly on the floor next to the sofa she was sitting on. She was engrossed in something on her phone and didn’t notice him until he bent over the back of the chair to kiss her cheek.

“Hey, sorry I’m late,” he said as she turned to look at him. “Nat had some stuff she wanted me and Steve to see.”

“Hey, you. That's okay. I would have been there, but I was in the shower, and didn’t see the message. Nat said I could catch up on Monday.”

“I almost missed it,” Bucky admitted. “Spent longer under the hot water than I meant to. So, how are we getting into the city?”

“Well, I need to get some boxes out of storage, so I thought we’d take my car,” Darcy said, standing up and stretching. She turned to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “But first, we’re going to have a quick look at my new room.” She gave him a quick kiss and then dropped her arms down, picking her bags up with one hand, and taking hold of his free hand with the other. “Come on!”

Darcy’s new room was along the same corridor as Nat and Wanda’s rooms, with the same size and layout. It was bigger than he'd expected it to be, with pale grey blackout curtains, a slightly darker carpet, and an amazing view of the lake with its adjoining forest. It was also empty.

“I thought you said it comes semi-furnished?” Bucky asked, opening the curtains wider to let the evening sun pour in. He took a moment to fully appreciate the view the large windows offered while Darcy quickly inspected the small walk-in wardrobe and the tiny ensuite bathroom before joining him.

“It does, but when Maria asked me what furniture I wanted, I told her it would depend on what I decided to get out of storage or buy. I’ve got a few things - bookcases, a desk, a TV stand - that I definitely want to get, but I’ve seen the furniture that gets provided, and I want to have a look around before I make up my mind.”

“Good plan,” Bucky said.

“Yep,” Darcy nodded with satisfaction. “I mean, it's not good for impulse shopping, but I want this room to be mine.”

She looked around the room again and could see her noting the light fixtures and power outlets.

“Why don't you take a few photos?” he suggested. “Something to look at when you can't quite remember where the lights and things are.”

“Huh, guess I'm not the only person around here with good ideas,” Darcy said as she whipped out her phone and started clicking away. Bucky moved out of the way and pretended not to notice when she swung the lens in his direction, even though she'd already photographed the wall he was standing in front of. 

“Okay, that should do it. Shall we?” 

He closed the curtains back up and they headed for the garage.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a set photo of Wanda’s room from Civil War on [ this page](https://www.dustinberry.com/work/) (scroll down til you find it). After staring at it (and several screenshots from the actual movie) for way too long I decided it isn’t the kind of room that Darcy needs, and this is my AU after all, so Darcy's new room is loosely based on this - VERY LOOSELY - but with a few changes.  
> My Tumblr, if you're interested, is  
> [ibelieveinturtles](http://ibelieveinturtles.tumblr.com/)


	19. Things To Be Thankful For

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Bucky gets a surprise, Darcy gets a phone call, and Bucky remembers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is brought to you by a lot of procrastination, intermittent bouts of motivation, and I lost track of the movies and tv I watched.
> 
> And I didn't realise it had been 3 months... this is v3 of this chapter. Thanks to Nix for the beta :-)

It was late evening when they arrived at the Tower. Darcy used the drive to introduce Bucky to her very eclectic taste in music, and he made a mental note of several new artists to look up - and several to avoid.

They left the car in the secure parking garage, and Darcy led him to the private elevator that led to the Avengers residential floors.

“Welcome back, Miss Lewis, Mr Barnes. It’s a pleasure to have you here again,” the soft voice of Friday greeted them.

“Thanks, Friday,” Darcy replied as she dropped her bags on the floor. “Jane’s floor please.”

“Would you like me to order dinner for you and Mr Barnes?” Friday asked as the elevator began its rapid ascent.

“Do you want to eat in, or go out?” Darcy asked.

“Hadn’t really thought about it,” Bucky replied. “Maybe eat here? I don’t think I want to go anywhere else today.”

“Sounds good to me,” she agreed. “Anything particular you’d like? Pizza? Chinese? Mexican?”

“Pizza sounds good,” he said.

“Anything you don’t like?”

“Nothing too fancy,” he said after a moment’s thought. “And no olives.”

“Cool,” she nodded happily. “Just the usual order then. Thanks, Friday.”

“Of course, Miss Lewis,” Friday confirmed. “Would you like to see Mr Barnes new apartment before or after you eat?”

Darcy paused in the act of hunting through her messenger bag, and looked up Bucky.

“Bucky’s what?” she asked, her reply mingling with his “I have my own room?”

“Mr Stark had a small apartment renovated for you,” Friday confirmed. “Your rooms are directly across the hall from Captain Rogers Suite.”

“Oh, my god,” Darcy muttered, and he heard a clink as she let go of whatever she’d been holding in her bag.

Bucky blinked a few times, shaking his head as looked down at Darcy, who had a hand over her mouth as if she were trying to stop from saying something. Her eyes were wide with surprise, but he could see the sparkle of humour in them.

“What?” he asked, then frowned. “Did you have something to do with this?”

“NO!” she protested quickly. “Not at all, I swear! I had no idea. It’s just...” she trailed off, shaking her head as she tried to suppress a giggle.

“The apartment is included as part of your contract with the Avengers,” Friday supplied helpfully. Darcy was still snickering behind her hand.

“What, then?” he asked again, a swirl of worry starting to grow in his gut.

“Well... I’ve seen Steve’s rooms,” Darcy said, trying very hard to look apologetic for her laughter and failing. “It looks like the Fourth of July threw up all over the place in there. And Tony  **likes** Steve. Well, he does now, anyway. Not so much at first from what I’ve heard, mind you. Not that he doesn’t like you,” she added hastily. “Even if- you know what? I’m gonna shut up now.” She mimed zipping her lips, and throwing away the key.

Bucky was too busy remembering his last stay in the Tower – he knew exactly what Darcy was talking about. “Oh, no,” he muttered, trying to stop the memory of Steve’s decor from assaulting his brain. “Oh, no.” The swirl of worry in his stomach grew and twisted.

“How bad do you think it is?” he asked.

“I can’t even begin to guess,” Darcy admitted. “Friday – we’ll go to Bucky’s new apartment first, please.” She turned to face him, placing cool, gentle hands on either side of his face. “We’ll go have a look, okay? See how bad it is, then, we can retreat to Jane’s rooms and eat. How does that sound?”

He took a deep breath, nodding. He was stressing over interior decoration. Ridiculous. Really, how bad could it be?

Seconds later they stepped out of the elevator, and with more than a little trepidation, walked down the corridor until they reached the door opposite Steve’s apartment.

“Please place your hand on the scanner,” Friday requested, and Bucky obliged. It glowed as his handprint was recorded into the system, and then the lock clicked.

He slowly pushed the door open, and Darcy followed him inside.

The first thing they saw was a small entry area, with a table in an alcove to the left, and coat hooks on the wall to the right. A short step to the right, and the apartment proper opened out in front of him. His jaw dropped.

“Wow,” he breathed.

“Well,” Darcy said behind him. “This is not what I was expecting. At. All.”

He had to agree with her. The area he could see from the entrance was bigger than he expected – there was a large, open plan living area to their right, and a roomy kitchen on their left. Next to the kitchen was a small dining area, and the back wall was split by a corridor leading further into the apartment. The back wall contained two doors, one on each side of the corridor.

The surprising bit however, was the unexpectedly tasteful decor. Bucky sighed in relief. This was nothing like Steve’s Fourth of July clearance sale theme.

The walls of the main area were pale grey, with a steel blue feature wall in the living area, which was furnished with a dark grey floor rug, a pale grey, modular lounge suite, and an enormous television. The monotony of the colour scheme was broken up by a rainbow of cushions scattered along the sofa.

A slight turn of his head, and he was looking at the kitchen, with its grey marble countertop, white cupboard doors, and brushed steel appliances. He could just see the corner of a wooden dining table and its chairs, in the dining room. He dropped his bag onto the floor, and moved further into the room, Darcy right on his heels.

“I thought Friday said it was a small apartment,” he said, running his hand over the soft leather of the sofa. “This is beautiful.”

“Well, compared to some of the others, it is,” Darcy said, wandering over to the door that led off the living room. She disappeared through the door, and a moment later there was a very quiet, “Oh, Jesus,” followed by an “Um, you might wanna hold off on the gratitude, Bucky. Come and check this out.”

He followed the sound of her voice, and found himself standing in a brightly decorated bedroom.

“Holy cow,” he exclaimed, turning slowly to take it all in. “This is-“

“I know, right?” Darcy was trying not to laugh again. “You can probably repaint it, if you want.”

“What? No! I love it!” he declared, advancing into the room to look at it more closely.

“You do?” Darcy almost squeaked in surprise, and she cast him a doubtful look.

He grinned. “I like pink,” he said happily, pulling aside the garish, striped curtain to peer out the window. “And orange. They’re two of my favourite colours.” He nodded to himself with satisfaction as he took in the room – bed, desk, bookcase, chest of drawers, chair, and rug – all in bright shades of orange and pink. “It’s like someone’s captured the sunrise. Or sunset. It’s happy.”

“Huh,” Darcy said, and a pleased smile drew itself across her face. “I bet Tony won’t expect that.”

Bucky looked around at that comment. “You think this is his idea of a joke? Give the big, bad Winter Soldier a bedroom more suited to a twelve year old girl?”

“He does do things to get reactions,” Darcy said, nodding in a wise and knowing manner. “Shall we keep looking?” she asked, turning on her heel to look at him. “I mean, who knows what else he’s done.”

He reached out, taking hold of her hand and pulling her towards him. “You know what else Stark likes to do?”

“What?”

“Surprise people by doing the unexpected. Come on. Let’s go check out the rest of the apartment.”

The door leading off the dining area led to a small bathroom, toilet, and utilities room. The corridor that led to the main bedroom was lined with large storage cupboards. They reached the door that led to the master suite, and paused, hand in hand.

“Are you ready?” Darcy asked, a twinkle in her eye and a smirk on her face.

“’Bout as ready as I’ll ever be,” Bucky replied, and opened the door.

They took a few steps into the room, and then stopped.

“Oh! I love this,” Darcy burst out. “It’s gorgeous.”

He gazed around the room. It was about the same size as the living room, decorated in a stunning combination of purple and green – strong, bright colours, set off by a king sized wooden bed, with matching side tables and bookcase, soft, thick carpet, and heavy curtains.

“Wow,” he said. Again. “This is-“

“Absolutely amazing,” Darcy said, walking over to the bed, dropping her bag in the floor as she ran a hand over the luxurious bedspread. “I’m actually questioning who did the decorating now. This does NOT seem like Tony’s style, at all.”

“If all I have to go on is Steve’s apartment, then I have to agree with you.” He took the few steps needed to stand behind her, settling his hand on her hips and resting his chin on her shoulder. “It’s not at all what I was expecting.”

She turned her head to look at him. “Me neither. I’m especially impressed with this huge bed though.”

“It is big,” he agreed. “Looks real comfortable, too.”

She grinned and pressed a brief kiss to his mouth, pulling away again before he has a chance to respond. “It really does.” She turned and sat on the bed, bounced experimentally a few times, then flopped gracefully backwards, stroking her arms across the covers as if she was making a snow angel.

“Mm, very nice,” she murmured, rolling onto her side and rubbing her cheek across the fabric. “So soft.” 

Bucky sat down next to her, extending a hand to gently brush her hair off her face.

“C’mere,” she said, beckoning with a flap of a hand and a coy twitch of an eyebrow. “I'm tired and I need a hug.”

He grinned as he lay down on his side next her, propping his head up with his metal hand so he could look at her. “Oh, it  **is** a comfortable bed,” he observed.

“It's a good bed,” Darcy replied. “Whoever did the decorating definitely has good taste.” She shuffled closer, wrapping an arm around his waist as she snuggled in. He brushed his free hand across her face, tracing the lines of cheekbone, jaw, mouth, and back across her cheek, then leaned in to press his mouth to hers, cupping the back of her head firmly as she tightened her arm against his spine and pressed herself closer. There was a faint, lingering taste of the peppermints she'd been chewing on in the car, and he swept his tongue along her lip to get a better taste. It had been too long since they'd been alone like this, and he just wanted to savour the feel of soft curves and warm skin, without anyone interrupting them. 

“We don’t need to go to Jane’s place, do we?” he murmured against her lips. “I think I just want to stay here.”

“Mmhmm,” she hummed in reply, fingers of one hand scratching at the back of his neck as the other one wandered across his back. “I'm good with that.” 

They were so wrapped up in what they were doing that Bucky didn’t immediately notice when a muffled song started playing. At least, he thought it was a song.

_ Nah, nah nah, nah nah, nah, nah, nah nah, _ _  
_ _ Hey, Jude _

Darcy paused in her ministrations, and buried her head in his neck. “Goddam it,” she muttered. Her warm breath sent goosebumps down his arm.

“What the hell is that?” He lifted his head, searching for the source of the noise.

“It's my phone,” Darcy replied, the slightest hint of a whine in her voice. 

“Leave it,” Bucky begged as she pushed herself off him and sat up.

“I can't,” she said, pressing another kiss to his mouth. “It's my mother.”

“You have a mother?” His addled brain let the words out before he could engage the safety, and he wanted to take them back as soon as they left his mouth. Of course she had a mother!

“Of course I have a mother,” she giggled, pushing off the bed and rummaging through her bag for her phone. “I wasn't found in a cabbage patch. Ahah!” She gave a small cry of triumph as she finally located her phone. “I'll make it quick,” she promised, swiping her thumb across the screen and lifting it to her ear.

“Hey, Mom,” she said, wandering down the corridor towards the living room.

Bucky lay on the bed for a moment, gathering his thoughts, catching his breath, and adjusting his pants. He sat up and looked around the room. 

It really was a nice room. It was also big. There were two lounge chairs and a small coffee table near the window, with a large floor to ceiling bookcase behind them. Another television mounted on the wall facing the bed, and several floating shelves between it and the large window. There was a mix of knick knacks and picture frames arranged on the shelves, and he got up to take a closer look.

The first photo was of him and Steve on the Western Front, heads bent over the map spread across the hood of the Jeep. He'd seen this one on display at the museum, and briefly wondered how a copy had ended up here. He looked to the next photo - a candid shot of the Howling Commandos - and the one next to that was of Steve and Peggy. He smiled to himself, remembering how they'd been in the middle of an argument, pausing long enough to smile for the camera before resuming their discussion. That was all the photos on that shelf.

His gaze wandered up to the next shelf, and he sucked in a surprised breath. Sitting on the shelf was a large picture of his entire family.

He reached out to pick it up, smiling to himself as he remembered the day it was taken. A week before he shipped off to basic training, his mother had taken them all to a photography studio, steadfastly insistent that they needed a family portrait before he left. He’d had a small, pocket sized copy to take with him, but it had been lost in the mud at Azzano.

If this photo was here - he looked back up at the shelves, gaze dancing quickly past the small collection of photographs, looking, but not quite seeing. He looked back down at the picture in his hands again, and wondered how it had got here, of all places.

A soft noise caught his attention and he turned to see Darcy standing at the corner of the bed.

“Whatcha got there?” Her voice was soft and quiet.

He looked back down at the photo in his hands, and then beckoned for her to come closer. “Pictures,” he said. “Lots of pictures.”

She came to stand beside him, and he held the portrait out for her to look at.

“Is this your family?” she asked. “It's a lovely picture.”

“Ma insisted,” Bucky said. “Dragged us all down to the studio about a week before I shipped off to basic training. She wouldn’t take no for an answer, not even from Dad. We all knew why, of course. No one said it, but we all knew it.”

“I don't know what to say,” Darcy replied. She leaned her head on his shoulder.

“It’s okay. You don't have to say anything.”

“What happened to them?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “I didn’t want to know.” He put the photo back on the shelf.

“And now?” Darcy asked. “Are you ready to know, now?”

He turned to look at her. She was studying the other photos, eyes moving over each one as she moved along the display.

“I-” He looked at the shelf but he couldn’t bring himself to look at any of the unfamiliar pictures properly yet. “I don’t think I’m quite there yet. I can’t even look at the rest of the photos.”

She swung around and looked at him. “Do you want me to move them? If they’re making you uncomfortable I can put them away.”

Before he could reply, a chime sounded from the ceiling.

“Excuse me, Miss Lewis, Mr Barnes,” Friday interrupted. “Your pizza order has arrived in the lobby. Would you like to collect it yourself, or should I send it up with a concierge?”

“Ah-”

“Send it up please, Friday,” Darcy answered immediately. She slid her arm around Bucky’s elbow, leaning against him as he looked at the line of framed pictures again.

“Leave them there,” he decided. “I can’t look at them if they’re not there.”

“Cool,” Darcy said. “Let’s go check out your plate situation.”

By the time the concierge arrived with the pizza they’d found plates and cups, and set the small dining table. While they ate the conversation turned to Darcy’s family.

“I was one of those late in life, we'd-actually-given-up-on-the-idea-of-ever-having-a-child babies,” she explained. “Like, I was an actual-facts miracle baby! Mom was 43, Dad was almost 50. Grandpa Lewis died in the war and Grandma Lewis never remarried. Mom had a little brother, but he died from measles when he was a baby, and there just weren't any more after that. So there weren't any aunts, uncles, cousins, sisters, brothers, nephews, or nieces. Just the three of us, once all my grandparents passed on.”

“Do you see them very often?” Bucky asked.

“I was actually supposed to go for a visit a couple of months ago, but the lab decided to blow up. When I tried to reschedule, they had a cruise booked, then we got busy building the new wormhole generator, the whole Winnipeg thing happened...” She paused to take a drink. “That call - was the ‘we never see you any more,” call. Mom's trying to guilt me into a visit.”

“Is it working?” 

Darcy huffed. “I don't guilt that easily. Sure, I miss them, and I really do want to go see them, because it  **has** been too long, but it’s not a good time at the moment.”

“You could have gone to see them this weekend - instead of coming here, with me,” Bucky suggested.

“I thought about it,” Darcy said, “but I knew they were supposed to be busy - although apparently their plans got cancelled because someone had a heart attack or something?” She shook her head, shoved the last mouthful of pizza into her mouth, and chewed thoughtfully. “I dunno - with everything that’s going on, I feel better staying close to home at the moment.”

Bucky nodded. She had a point. “We’re getting closer - that meeting you didn’t get to this afternoon? Nat showed us photos of a few possible suspects. Jane identified and cleared all but one of them. They can’t hide forever.”

“Well, that’s good news,” Darcy replied with a yawn. “We’re supposed to be presenting at a conference in a few weeks, and I’d hate to miss it.”

“What kind of conference?” Bucky asked as he started to clear the table.

“Advances in Practical Astrophysics,” Darcy said, leaning back in her chair and stretching. “Basically, it's lots of presentations - PowerPoint, photos, talking. Not actually much practicality though - it's harder than you think, giving actual demonstrations of actual astrophysics.”

“Sounds fascinating,” Bucky said, finding that he was more interested in the way Darcy's shirt rode up as she stretched.

“You have no idea - I mean, there are a few practical sessions, but they'll all be in the middle of the night.” She relaxed and leaned towards him. “Telescopes don't work very well during the day,” she whispered confidentially. 

“Really? I would never have guessed.” He grinned at her over his shoulder as he carried the plates and cups into the kitchen. “Do you go to the nighttime stuff? Or just the daytime stuff?”

“Oh, a bit of both. It all depends really.” She stood up and stretched again. “But mostly, I just go to bed.” She added another yawn to her stretch, and winked at him.

Bucky dumped the dirty dishes in the sink, and turned around. “Bed, huh?”

She nodded, a cheeky grin pulling at her mouth. “Yep. In fact, it's been a reallllly long day-” She yawned again. “-and I think it's past my bedtime.”

“What about the dishes?” he asked.

Darcy shrugged. “There's not a lot there - I'm sure it won't take you long. I'm gonna go brush my teeth. See you soon!”

Bucky watched as she sauntered down the hallway, and turned back to the sink. Two plates and two cups.

Dishes could wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I spent way longer than I should have designing Bucky’s apartment and figuring out colour schemes for it… *sigh*  
> The main bedroom is a bit like this   
> The second bedroom looks a bit like this one   
> The tv area might look a bit like this   
> I've used a couple of resources for Bucky's timeline and history:  
> ['Til The End Of the Timeline](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10878852/chapters/24170622), by [mandarou](http://archiveofourown.org/users/mandarou/pseuds/mandarou) (go read [Dishonor On Your Cow](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10659162/chapters/23589582) \- I don't read much Stucky but this one is fabulous!)  
> [This timeline](http://marvelcinematicuniverse.wikia.com/wiki/Timeline) on the Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki. (Note: this one is undergoing a lot of changes atm, possibly because of Spiderman:Homecoming? Anyway, a lot of dates have changed…)
> 
> My Tumblr, if you're interested, is [ibelieveinturtles](http://ibelieveinturtles.tumblr.com/)


	20. Hey, Big Spender!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Bucky takes to shopping like a duck takes to water, a date is had, and more answers are questioned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m doing a fic giveaway on Tumblr!! Link at the bottom if you’re interested :-)
> 
> I have been to New York - once, about 23 years ago... I don’t remember many details. So, all the shops are made up except for the bookshop – after a bit of googling I’ve decided that if I ever go to New York again, I’m definitely going to visit the Strand Bookshop. Because BOOKS! (note to self, win Lotto.)
> 
> Part of the date featured in a chapter of my FYDL Drabble-a-thon contribution. It’s been changed, and expanded on a bit here.
> 
> Thanks again to [Pheonix_173](http://archiveofourown.org/users/phoenix_173/pseuds/phoenix_173) for the beta.

 

* * *

 

 

Bucky was rapidly developing the firm opinion that he could get used to waking up next to Darcy. She was still fast asleep, her limbs heavy and motionless. He hummed sleepily to himself, breathing in the scents he was learning to associate with her – the sweetness of her shampoo, the mild tang of her deodorant – and listening to the beating of her heart, and the barely audible whistle as she breathed in and out. His hand was resting on her thigh, thumb idly stroking a gentle arc across her soft skin. He rarely stayed in bed once he woke up, preferring to get up and get going, but right now – he couldn’t think of any reason to leave it.

When they did finally leave the bed, Darcy headed straight for the shower, and Bucky went to see if there were any coffee making supplies in the still unexplored kitchen. They were in luck. By the time Darcy wandered into the kitchen, dressed for a hard day of shopping, there were two steaming mugs ready on the counter.

“I found coffee, but the only food we have is leftover pizza,” he informed her.

“Ugh,” Darcy said, slouching over the counter and sipping at her coffee. “Not cool. How do you feel about pancakes?”

“Pancakes sound good,” he said, taking a mouthful from his own mug.

She gave him a thumbs up. “If I remember correctly, there’s a Pancake Palace not far from here. By the time we get there, I should be ready to eat.”

“I’ll go take a quick shower then.” He dropped a kiss on her cheek and wandered off to the bathroom, where he showered and dressed in record time. Less than half an hour after they dragged themselves out of bed, they were on their way.

They spent the whole day out, starting with their pancake breakfast. With neither of them overly familiar with the layout of the city, they wandered from shop to market to outlet as the whim took them, slowly crossing off items on the list Darcy had put together.

She found bedside lamps, cushions, and throw rugs, as well as a few other random bits and pieces to decorate with. With a bit of encouragement, he even picked out a few things for his own room.

It was during a search for good coffee and something to eat that she hit the jackpot – a king size wooden bed with drawers in the base and shelves in the headboard. She spied it in a hole-in-the-wall second-hand furniture store that they walked past three times before even realising what it was.

They arranged for the delivery of the bed to the upstate facility, and then Darcy informed him that a bed that awesome needed a suitable mattress and linens, so their next stop – after Bucky insisted they take a break for lunch – was for all the things she needed for her new bed. Once that was taken care of, Darcy declared all the essentials complete, and announced that she had a special surprise for him next.

It was the biggest bookstore he’d ever seen.

“I don’t remember telling you how much I love books,” was the first thing that came out of his mouth.

“Steve told me,” Darcy replied, hugging his arm tightly as they waited to cross the road. “He came looking for me a week or so ago, to apologise for the whole you pretending to be him thing. We chatted for a little while, and he kinda just happened to mention how you used to sit around reading all the time – you know, before. So, I thought what better place to bring a booklover, than New York’s biggest bookstore?”

He stared down at the smugly happy expression on her face, and a wave of joy rolled through him. He planted a kiss on her upturned lips. “I think I might keep you.”

The Strand Bookstore was the embodiment of a dream he’d never realised he had, and he wasn’t ashamed to admit that he maybe went a little bit overboard. All the books he’d been reading since arriving at the compound belonged to other people. The opportunity to start his own collection was one he was seizing with both hands and the limits of his rarely used credit card. He wasn’t even sure what the limit was, come to think of it. Two hours after entering the store he’d barely scratched the surface of what they offered, but he’d had to resort to asking the staff for more than one box to stack them into as he found book after book after book. Darcy had taken on the task of packing his selections into the boxes so that his arms didn’t overflow. They ended up contacting Friday to arrange the collection and delivery of his new baby library back to the Tower. Nope, not even a little bit ashamed.

It was late in the afternoon when they returned to the tower, but they still had plenty of time to kick back, relax, and compare purchases before getting ready for dinner and a movie.

They’d walked past several restaurants during the day, and one in particular had caught their attention. It was lively looking, with outdoor dining under trees draped with twinkly lights, and a dress code suitable for people wanting to see movies afterwards… and hadn't thought to pack anything formal.

When Darcy had walked out of the ensuite in her tight black pants and sparkly black top that clung to all of her curves, Bucky had wanted to toss their evening plans out the window and drag her back to bed. She must have seen it in his face, because she just pointed at him, saying, “There will be time for that later, Bucky Barnes. I’m hungry and I want food!”

There was a moment of confusion when they left the Tower, as they each remembered the restaurant being in different directions, but it didn’t take long to figure out the right way to go. It was a beautiful evening, perfect for strolling through the city.

They fell into silence once they’d worked out which way to go, and even though it was a comfortable silence, Bucky had a feeling that Darcy was just the slightest bit nervous.

“Are you okay?” he asked as they rounded a corner.

“What? Yeah, I’m fine,” Darcy replied.

“You sure? You seem a little quiet. Nervous.”

She reached up and tucked a stray strand of hair behind an ear. “Maybe a little bit? I don’t know. It’s weird. My last few actual dates have been blind dates, so going out with someone I already know is a bit unusual.”

“So, a normal first date for you is when you don’t know the guy already?”

“Yeah.” Darcy nodded. “It’s a different kind of thing, dating someone you’ve never met as opposed to someone you already know.”

“Treat this like a normal first date then,” Bucky said, taking hold of her hand. “Pretend we don’t know each other.”

“You want my first date game plan?” Darcy asked, looking up at him, a small smile playing around her lips.

“Yeah, I do.” He smiled. “I want to know how you get to know someone you’ve never met before. How do you decide a man is worth a second chance, or sticking around for?”

“Well,” Darcy began, “generally speaking, I just go with the flow – see where the conversation goes. There’s always a few ‘get-to-know-you’ questions of course, but I have a few other things I like to slip into the conversation, and a lot depends on how a guy responds to them.”

“What kind of things?” He was 99% sure that Darcy on a first date was a fearsome thing to behold.

“Special things,” she said, tossing a coy glance at him. “For example – what’s your opinion on dinosaurs?”

“Dinosaurs?” Bucky felt a stirring of satisfaction that his suspicions had been right. He hadn’t expected dinosaurs to be a topic of conversation tonight.

“Dinosaurs.” Darcy nodded firmly.

“This is a science question, isn’t it?”

She grinned and nodded her head. “A denial of dinosaurs is a denial of science, and therefore, a deal-breaker.”

Bucky smiled back. “Well, it’s a good thing I like dinosaurs then,” he said. “My Pa took me to see _The Lost World_ at the Picture Palace when I was eight. I thought it was the most amazing thing I’d ever seen.”

“Have you seen the Jurassic Park movies?” she asked.

Bucky nodded. “All of them, at least twice. I’ve seen every version of _King Kong_ as well, and _Journey to The Centre of The Earth_.”

She laughed. “Oh my god, you’re a real monster fan, aren’t you?”

“Yep, sure am.”

“So – does that mean you’re into like, vampires and werewolves and mummies as well?”

He shook his head slightly. “Not as much, but me and Steve went to all kinds of movies back in the day. It was cheap entertainment, and it kept him out of trouble... mostly.”

“How excited were you in Winnipeg then? Fighting real life actual monsters?”

Bucky shuddered. “That was terrifying. I prefer movie monsters.”

Darcy nodded. “I get that. It’s all good watching Godzilla flatten Las Vegas and San Francisco on the big screen, but when you’re actually in the middle of it... that’s another thing entirely.”

“Yeah,” Bucky murmured. “You got that right.”

They stopped to wait for the lights to change, and Darcy asked her next question.

“Okay, so you like monsters – as long as they aren’t real. What about aliens?” There’s a twinkle in her eye, and she winked at him.

“Did you suddenly forget we sometimes live with one?” He raised an eyebrow at her.

She laughed. “Okay – if you didn’t know about Thor. If we didn’t even **have** a Thor! If you were still- ooh, I know! What did young Bucky think? What was his opinion on aliens?” She was gripping his hand tightly as she waited for his answer.

“Young Bucky? I’m only 30 you know,” he protested. Give or take a year or three, he guessed.

“Bucky 1.0?” Darcy grinned.

“ **I** ,” he pointed a very definite finger at himself, “had a copy of the very first _Astounding Science Fiction and Fact_ magazine. It was published in January 1930, I was two months shy of my thirteenth birthday, and it cost me twenty cents.”

“Wow, big spender,” Darcy drawled. The lights changed, and they crossed the road with the rest of the crowd.

“Hey, that was a lot of money for a twelve year old,” Bucky protested. “And I earned it all myself.”

“What did you do?” she asked.

“My dad was lucky – he was a government clerk. I was good with numbers, so he taught me how to do what he did, and I was lucky enough to get some work after school as a store clerk with the local greengrocer. It wasn’t much, but every bit helped.”

“And then you spent it all on trashy magazines.”

“It was my one luxury. I got every single edition of that magazine right up until I went off to basic training. When I didn’t have the money for them, there was an old man in our building who bought them as well.”

“What’d you do? Steal them out of his trash?” She bumped him gently in the ribs with her elbow.

“Nah, I just asked him if we could have them when he was done. Real polite too, just like my Mom taught me. He knew I shared them with my friends. Steve was just as crazy about those magazines as I was – miracles happened in those stories.” Bucky sighed. He hadn’t thought about them for a long time – hiding in his room with Steve, reading their magazines, and talking about all the amazing things they’d do when things got better.

“No wonder he was so willing to submit himself as a scientific experiment,” Darcy muttered, oblivious to his reminiscing.

Bucky chuckled. “Oh yeah, he really believed in the future. Anyway – getting back to the question – if you’d told thirteen year old me that he’d meet a real alien one day? He’d a been thrilled to his boots. Mind you, he would also have expected more green skin, and possibly tentacles.”

“Tentacles!” Darcy snorted, and shook her head as if amused. “More rocket ships, robots, and flying cars too, right?”

“Definitely all of those,” he said. “Especially the flying cars – I’ve seen one before.”

She looked up at him. “Tony’s dad built one, right?”

“That’s right,” he nodded. “Me and Steve visited the Stark Expo the night before I shipped out to England. It flew for about five seconds before it came crashing down.” He sighed wistfully. “It was the most incredible thing I’d ever seen.”

“I wonder what happened-“ Darcy cut off as he stopped suddenly, and turned around. “What?”

“We just walked straight past the restaurant,” Bucky replied. “Too busy talking to see where we were going. You hungry?”

“Um, starving!” Darcy declared.

After dinner they resumed their walk, heading for the nearest cinema to see what was playing. The meal portion of their date somehow turned into an extremely competitive game of twenty questions where they bombarded each other with facts and figures, each vying to learn more new things than the other, and laughing riotously at the more bizarre answers. By the time they finished eating it felt like they’d known each other for years rather than a few short months. It also made it much easier to choose a movie, although deciding between _A Light-Year From Ganymede_ , _Maximum Extreme 7_ , and _The Pandora Effect_ was more difficult than expected, but comedy space horror finally won out over cheesy action and just plain weird.

“That was a lot better than I expected,” Bucky said as they left the cinema, “but I’ll never look at broccoli quite the same again.”

“Same,” Darcy agreed. “I always liked broccoli, but I’m not so sure now.” She looked around. “So what do you wanna do next? Go home? Get dessert? Walk around for a while?”

“Dessert sounds good,” Bucky said. “What’ve you got in mind?” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

She glanced at him sideways and hummed, thoughtfully tapping a finger against her lip as she moved closer to him. “I do believe I promised you chocolate cheesecake once, didn't I?”

“Yeah, you did,” he replied, nodding as he watched her closely. “I'd almost forgotten.”

“Same,” Darcy said. “But I remembered now, and I know just the place.”

She held her hand out to him, and he took it, but instead of just holding hands like before, he tucked it around his elbow and drew her in close.

“Take me to your cheesecake,” he whispered seductively into her ear. He deserved the peal of laughter that bubbled out her.

 

When Bucky woke up Sunday morning, the temptation to stay curled up with Darcy was strong, but this time, instead of staying in bed, he carefully freed himself from her arms, threw on some clothes, and took himself off to find something for their breakfast.

Darcy was still sleeping when he returned an hour or so later. He’d collected enough food to last them the whole day, as well as an extra little surprise for his girl.

A leisurely exploration of the cupboards lining the hallway revealed a good supply of linen, including extra sheets for both beds, spare blankets, towels and bathmats for the bathrooms, and a pair of tablecloths.

He set the table, prepared breakfast, and then went to wake Darcy up.

She was just starting to stir as he entered the bedroom. The rhythm of her breathing had changed, and she’d rolled onto her other side. He lowered himself onto the mattress, sliding over until he was right next to her. He carefully brushed her hair away from her face, pushing the strands behind her shoulders with gentle strokes as he whispered into her ear, coaxing her into wakefulness.

“Darcy. Hey, Darce – it’s time to wake up, sweetheart.”

“It’s Sunday, Bucky,” she mumbled in a sleep-thickened voice. “We sleep in on Sundays.”

“It’s nearly nine o’clock,” he said, “and I went and got breakfast. It’s waiting on the table.”

She opened an eye, squinting at him with hope gleaming in its depths. “Is there coffee?”

“Of course!” He pretended to be offended at the question, but when she flashed a grateful yet sleepy smile at him, he couldn’t help smiling back as he pressed a good morning kiss to her lips. He’d only meant it as a light meeting of lips but she snaked an arm around his neck, and held him against her as she deepened the kiss.

Eventually he managed to pull himself away, albeit reluctantly. Temptation was back in full force, but they had things to do. “Coffee’s getting cold,” he told her. “We can always come back to this later.” He rolled off the bed, patting her on the rear as he got up. “Come on, let’s eat.”

“Can’t I have breakfast in bed?” she moaned at him, flopping onto her stomach.

“No. You’re gonna eat at the table like a civilised person. Besides, I got you something else for your new room.” He finished with a wink and a smile as she sat up.

“You got me a present?” she asked, sliding naked out of bed and rummaging around in the bedside drawers for something to wear. He waited at the door, enjoying the view as she pulled on some panties, a pair of red satiny shorts, and a black t-shirt with his red star blazoned across one sleeve.

“Where and when did you get that set?” he asked. He hadn't forgotten her liking for Avenger themed sleepwear.

“The internet,” she replied. “I couldn't find anything official so I had to custom design it. You like?” She twirled around in front of him so he could get a good look.

“Very much,” he assured her, reaching a hand out and sliding it across the silky fabric clinging to her hips. “Much better than those pastel Cap pyjamas you've got.”

“Oh, just wait til you see what else I got.” She smirked at him. “It's amazing what you can find online.” She shuffled closer, rising on tiptoe as he slid his hand around her waist to hold her steady. “I found more than one website that lets you customise underwear,” she said, warm breath tickling his ear. His breath caught in his throat, and he tightened his grip on her waist, thoughts of breakfast disappearing fast. “But first, I need coffee.”

Their tummies promptly gurgled in unison, and she giggled.

“I won't forget this,” he warned her, taking her hand and leading her out to the kitchen.

She gave an exclamation of joy when she saw the breakfast he’d set out for them. “You are a god among men,” she declared, grasping the coffee like a lifeline, and reaching for a croissant and a slice of apple. “This is so good.”

They sat down next to each and enjoyed the kind of breakfast usually reserved for five star hotels.

“So what’s my present?” Darcy asked after she’d finished her first coffee.

“Remember how you told me last night that two of the things you miss most out at the compound are New Mexico, and having your own garden?” he asked, wiping his mouth with a napkin, and pushing his chair back. “Well, I saw this while I was wandering around the markets this morning, and I thought of you.” He ducked into the laundry, and came out again almost immediately, a small ceramic pot in his hand.

“It’s a cactus!” Darcy exclaimed. “Oh my god, it’s so cute.”

“It’s a pincushion cactus,” Bucky said, handing her the tiny green plant. “They don’t need much water, and it can just sit near your window to get the sunlight it needs. The lady gave me a leaflet with care instructions, and she has a website, so if you want, we can make you a little succulent garden.”

Darcy was gently prodding at one of the tiny pink flowers with a fingernail, turning the cactus to look at it from all sides. “It’s perfect,” she said. “Just perfect.”

Bucky beamed.

By the time they finished breakfast it was time to pack up their things and get ready to visit Darcy’s storage locker.

She was taking a quick shower, and Bucky was about to close his bag up when his gaze landed on the shelves of photographs as he did one last sweep of the room. His hands stopped what they were doing, and he straightened up. They’d briefly talked about his family last night, but looking at the rows of frames, he wondered if it was finally time to cross that last bridge, open the final door.

He walked over to the shelves, not quite looking at them, but not completely avoiding them either. He reached out and picked up the family portrait.

“Friday?” He asked quietly, running his fingers over the frame.

“Yes, Mr Barnes?” came the soft reply.

“Do you know where these pictures came from?”

“The photographs were sourced from both private and public archives,” Friday said. “Would you like to know the sources?”

He drew in a shallow breath. “Not today, thanks. Can I take one with me?”

“All the photographs are your property, Mr Barnes. You can do whatever you like with them.”

Bucky looked up in surprise. “Mine? All of ’em?”

“Yes, sir.”

Well. He hadn’t expected that. He turned on his heel and carried the frame back to his bag, carefully pushing it down between his clothes to protect it from damage.

It was when they got to the stage of packing everything into Darcy’s car that they realised they had a problem. With the addition of all their shopping from the previous day – specifically, Bucky’s many boxes of books – the car was packed to the brim.

“Dammit,” Darcy sighed as she forced the last cushion into a gap. “I did not plan on doing this much shopping. There’s no room left for anything else, and I was gonna get stuff out of storage.” She slumped against the car, looking around as if a solution would materialise out of thin air. “I guess I’ll have to do that another time.”

Bucky looked at the car. “I could leave the books behind,” he offered, coming to lean against the car with her, arm around her shoulders.

She shook her head. “No, I’m not leaving your books behind. They’re precious.”

“They’re not that precious,” he said.

“No, we’ll think of something,” she insisted.

“Maybe Stark has something we could use or borrow?” he suggested.

Darcy stood up. “Well, it’s worth asking.”

Half an hour later they departed the Tower, Friday having organised for a small truck to meet them at the storage units. It took them a little under an hour to get there, and the truck was waiting as promised.

They parked next to the truck, and Darcy went straight to the door of the locker, unlocking it, and rolling the door up into its recess.

“You ready for some heavy lifting?”

The locker was packed neatly to about three quarters full, with a few odds and ends scattered in the free space at the front, including a fold out camping chair with a cup holder on one arm and a small fold table on the other. Several neat stacks of boxes occupied one side of the unit, and furniture was stacked tetris-style on the other.

“Okay,” Darcy muttered to herself as she ran her eyes over the contents. “Bookshelf, bedside tables, the desk, and my tv cabinet.” She turned to look at him. “We'll load the bookshelf and tv cabinet first, then the desk, then the bedside tables. Then I'll see how much other stuff I can squeeze in.”

They didn't waste any time, unstacking the furniture to reach the pieces Darcy wanted. There was more furniture than Bucky had expected, including a small wooden dining suite, a sofa bed, and an antique, two door wooden armoire.

“Where'd you get this from?” he asked, running his hand along the smooth, polished surface.

“That was Grandma Lewis’s. She left me the whole set when she died. There's a tallboy, a chest of drawers, and a double bed at Mom and Dad's place still.”

“It looks just like the one my folks had,” he said.

“Really? Her grandfather ran the company that made them. He gave this one to Great Great Grandma as a wedding present, then they collected the other pieces over the next few years.”

Bucky opened the door and inspected the drawers and cupboard. “It's in really good condition.”

“It's been well looked after,” Darcy said, smiling as she patted it fondly. “One day, I'm gonna build a house to put it in.”

“You're gonna base a whole house around one piece of furniture?” Bucky wasn't sure if that was a good idea, no matter how beautiful the furniture in question.

“Well, I'll definitely keep it in mind,” she acceded. “Maybe just one room.”

“That might be a little more manageable.”

Bucky and the truck driver started moving the furniture Darcy had selected into the truck while she went back in to pull out some boxes to take with her as well.

By the time he went back in she was busily hunting through one of the larger ones.

“What next?” he asked.

“I’m just trying to figure out which of these boxes I want to take with me,” Darcy replied, her voice slightly muffled because her head was in the box.

She popped upright, shaking her head as she folded the boxes flaps closed. “Nothing I want in that one.”

She pushed it to one side, then pulled another box off the stack, steadying it against her body as she turned towards him.

“Here. Amuse yourself with this while I keep looking,” she said.

“What is it?” He took it from her and set it down on the floor next to the chair.

“Photo albums mainly. I think there's a few frames as well. Have fun.” She turned back to the stack of boxes.

“You sure you don't want any help with that?” he asked.

“Nah, I'm good.”

He turned around again, and sat himself down in the chair. The box wasn't even sealed properly - it just had the flaps all folded around each other. He opened it up and pulled out the first album. He flipped it open.

“Are you sure you don’t mind me looking at your baby pictures?” he asked.

“Not at all,” Darcy replied, throwing a smile at him over her shoulder. “I was an adorable baby.”

Bucky smiled - she was right about that. He flipped idly through the album before putting it down and pulling out another, and then another. Each album seemed to cover anywhere between one and five years, and he'd reached what looked like her high school years when he suddenly spotted a face that looked familiar.

It didn't take long for him to remember where he'd seen an older version of the gangly boy in Darcy's photo album.

“Hey, Darce - what's this photo?”

Darcy had just put another box on the stack for the truck, and leaned on his shoulder as she peered at the photo.

“Oh, that was our last year of middle school, I think,” she said. “A bunch of us used to go camping down near the river every coupla months. Let's see, there's me, Erica, Courtney, and Liz - they were my best friends. Then there's Erica’s brother - Daniel, his best friend Jack, Liz’s brother Matt, and that's Jack’s cousin, Weasel on the end there.”

She pointed to each person as she named them, finishing with the boy he recognised from the photograph of Dr. Roman and her Shield security team.

“Weasel?”

“His last name was Wesley. We started calling him Weasley after Liz’s aunt sent her a copy of the first Harry Potter book - he had the red hair and everything, and he pretended to hate it so much. It kinda morphed into Weasel as we all got older cos he kinda looked like one.”

“But he's a friend of yours?” Bucky asked.

“He was...“ Darcy sat down next to him “Not any more though. Haven't seen him in years, and honestly I'll be happy if I never see him again.”

Bucky glanced at her. “Any particular reason why?”

“He turned out to be an asshole,” she grumbled. “He was a math and computer geek - like, really smart. He tutored me for a while, and we became friends. Except he turned out to be one of those guys who thinks if a girl's nice to him, she wants to sleep with him. He got real nasty when I didn't want to date him.” Darcy pulled her knees up to her chest, hugging them tightly as she told the story. “He accused me of leading him on, and told me I'd be sorry one day.”

“You're right - he's definitely an asshole,” Bucky agreed, knowing that he needed to tell her his suspicions. “Do you know where he is now? Or what he does?”

She looked up at him, eyes narrowed suspiciously at his body questions. “No, I don’t,” she said in a cautious tone. “Why?”

Bucky sighed and rubbed his head. “When Nat was going through suspects with Jane on Friday afternoon, I saw him – or someone who looks a LOT like him - in a photograph with a Shield security team,” he told her. “He wasn't in Shield uniform but was definitely part of the group. The person we think is behind the hijacking of the wormhole generator was also in the picture.”

“What?” Darcy looked shocked. “How, when- I mean… WHAT?”

“The hair’s different, and he's probably a good ten or fifteen years younger here, but I'm positive it's the same person,” Bucky said, watching Darcy carefully. She was staring at the old picture, a puzzled look on her face.

“Huh. Well, that’s weird,” she said.

“I don't know if weird is the word I'd use,” Bucky said, frowning.

“What do you mean?” She looked up at him, a hint of worry evident in her eyes.

“Well, I don't much believe in coincidences, doll,” he replied, reaching into the box. “You got any more recent pictures of him than this?”

“Um, yeah. My senior yearbook should be around here somewhere. Hang on.” She stood back up, turning to study the stack of boxes for a moment. She pulled several boxes down, and then pulled out a small book carton.

She brought it over to Bucky, sitting down on the floor next to him. She opened it, and started pulling out an assortment of magazines, theatre programs, and yearbooks.

“Why is the thing you want always at the damn bottom?” she muttered. “Ah! Here it is!” She pulled it out with a flourish and sat back down next to him, flipping straight to the back.

The person in this picture had changed a lot, and looked a lot more like the man in Natasha’s photo.

“That's definitely the same person,” Bucky said, taking the book from her hands.

“That's a problem, isn't it?” Darcy asked, worrying at her bottom lip with her teeth.

“Probably,” he said, studying the picture carefully. “Like I said, I don't believe in coincidences. Having people in this mess who have a connection with you, as well as Jane? That's something worth worrying about.”

Darcy started piling the magazines she'd just unpacked back into the box. “We should probably get moving,” she said, climbing back to her feet. “I think I've got enough stuff for now.” She shoved the box back on the stack.

Bucky put the yearbook into the box with the photos and stood up as well. “I'll put these last boxes in the truck while you tidy up,” he said, waving a hand at the half dozen or so boxes she'd put near the door. He put a hand on her shoulder, waiting patiently until she looked up at him. “We'll figure it out, okay. I won't tell you not to worry, or that everything will work out fine, but… we'll get this sorted out.” He leaned in, kissing her on the forehead as she twined her arms around his waist.

“It's like the plotline out of some ridiculous conspiracy movie,” she joked. “I want Gal Gadot to play me when we sell the rights, okay?”

“Who's Gal Gadot?” he asked, but she didn't reply, just grinned and pecked him on the cheek before going to put the scattered boxes back into neat stacks.

He took the boxes she'd selected out to the truck one by one, but some instinct made him take the box of photos over to the car instead. He made another spur of the moment decision and moved his books into the truck, freeing up space in the car.

By the time he finished his task, Darcy had also finished what she was doing, and it wasn't long before they were on the road and heading home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The average cost of a movie ticket in the 1920’s-1940’s was about 25c.
> 
> Check out this [1939 price guide](http://www.paper-dragon.com/1939/priceguide.html) for a better idea of the cost of things ‘way back when.’
> 
> Darcy’s cactus
> 
> Darcy's storage locker ended up bigger than I expected, and I didn't even realise half of what she's got in it! :-) I had no idea she had antique furniture!
> 
> My Tumblr, if you're interested, is [ibelieveinturtles](http://ibelieveinturtles.tumblr.com/) I just hit 150 followers so I'm doing a ficlet giveaway [here](https://ibelieveinturtles.tumblr.com/post/166938535834/send-me-a-prompt)
> 
> Finally, I impulsively signed up to do NaNoWriMo on the weekend to try and kick start an original work, so the next chapter of this won't be up til December (probably). (I may also regret my life choices before the end of November!)


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